


Damaged Goods

by AuthorA97



Series: Angel Grace [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bugs, Female OC is bi, Flashbacks, Gore, Human from our world, Jess Dies, Sad Dean, Sad Sam, Vamps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2018-11-30 04:37:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11456142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorA97/pseuds/AuthorA97
Summary: Well, time for a new identity. Her sister's been dead going on eleven months, her coworkers are being annoying, and her mother is just being a plain pain. Might as well start hunting.





	1. Fangirl Problems

Morgan Spencer was a lot of things.

She was still a high school student. She was almost done with her sophomore year. If things went right, Morgan would graduate valedictorian. She was proud of that.

She was a bit pretty, you could say. She had long black hair, with outrageous curls and in the preferred style of a ponytail. She had these bright amber eyes, like honey mixed with whiskey. Her skin was tan, with freckles all over. She was tall at her supposed age too, at 5’08.

She was a single mom. Her child was eight now. The girl had been adopted, raised by Morgan  _ ‘in the life’ _ for almost a year now. Morgan hated bringing her daughter into it, but there was little she could do. Lilac had taken well to it.

Though she was loath to admit it, Morgan was  _ special. _

She was in line for the crown of her people, Queen of the Travelers. A race of humans that could walk between realities, typically the fictional ones. Morgan had been to dozens of them at her age. Her people had been cut off from her for almost two hundred years.

A part of Morgan hated their people for that.

Two hundred years of thinking she had thought she was a freak. That she was a monster. That she was something  _ cursed _ . Alone, for two hundred years, without any idea of what she was.

Then she met Darcy in one of those realities. Darcy. Snarky, slutty,  _ stupid _ Darcy. The sister Morgan had always wanted.

Darcy went to the Traveled life at age six, after her parents died. Morgan took he girl in, raising the girl as best she could. Darcy turned out fairly okay.

Until she died.

Eleven months ago. Or had it been two? Time worked so differently for Morgan.

It was a bit of a blur sometimes. Other times it felt fresh and achingly new.

On days like today, it felt fresh. So Morgan opted to vanish to a new reality to hide from it all.

She was sitting in her office, which she hated strictly on principle. She was sitting in a boring office chair, staring vacantly at the paperwork on her desk.

Her friend Lila, another Traveler, was in the room with her. Lila had short blonde hair, grass green eyes, and was  _ Padalecki brand tall _ at 5’10, while she was only 14 _. _ The young girl was dressed in a yellow athletic shirt, with a purple vest, and neon green shorts.

Lila had come to recognize the  _ ‘Darcy Days’  _ as other Travelers called it. Re young teen had learned it was a good idea to stay close to Morgan. You never knew when it would go from ‘ _ Darcy Day’ _ to  _ ‘Bitch Day’ _ .

“I’m thinking about going to  _ Supernatural _ .” She commented out of nowhere.

Lila stared at her in surprise. “What, really?” The show had seemed too...on the nose for Morgan right now. 

“Yeah. I’ve been putting it off for awhile now.” Morgan idly tossed around her unfinished paperwork onto her desk. She leaned back in her chair, pressing two fingers to the side of her forehead. “If I don’t get out of this paperwork soon, I’m gonna kill Tracy.”

“You’ve been doing paperwork for twenty minutes.” Lila commented. She leaned over the desk, glancing at the papers. “And it’s not even paperwork, it’s your math homework.”

“What?” Morgan lifted the papers up, eyeing them with confusion. “Huh. This  _ is _ my math homework. I thought it was the new budget.” She lowered it, a surprised look on her face. “I’m disappointed. I thought I found a way for Charlie in accounting to get those 38 watermelons he wanted.”

Lila snorted. She shook her head in disbelief. It was good to see Morgan make jokes.

It had only been two months since Morgan’s sister’s death. Lila could still remember the loud cries Morgan made after Darcy’s’ funeral. The newly crowned princess had rarely smiled anymore.

If Traveling to  _ Supernatural _ would make her happy...

“You watch much  _ Supernatural _ ?” Morgan asked.

It brought Lila back to the conversation. “Nah. It’s...violent.” Lila admitted. She blushed. “I’ve seen the stuff on Tumblr, though.”

“I’ve seen it.” A new girl piped in, having just walked in. She was blonde too, only with a much more ‘surfer’ style hairdo. She was mildly tan, with blue eyes and a wide smile. She wore a sky blue shirt  _ Ron Jon Surf Shop _ shirt, with jeans. She was short at 5’5.

Morgan’s eyes lit up. “ _ Awesome _ . What’s your name again?”

“Katelynn, with a K.” She clarified.

“Katelynn with a K. That’s what I’m calling you now.” Morgan stated. Lila shook her head, smiling. “What are you, Dean girl or Sam girl?”

“I  _ was _ a Sam girl, but then Castiel happened.” Katelynn explained. Lila watched the two talk as if they were characters in an anime, but without subtitles or dubbing. “You?”

“Believe it or not, it’s-what season are you?” Morgan paused.

“Just started five.” Katelynn answered.

“Oh then I love the Trickster.” Morgan answered. 

“That murderer with a sweet tooth?” Katelynn asked in disbelief.

“I know. He’s gorgeous.” Their crowned princess sighed dramatically, swooning in her chair.

“He killed Dean!” Katelynn reminded Morgan.

“Everyone’s killed Dean! Even  _ Sam _ has killed Dean!” Morgan countered. She was happy to do it. Then she laughed. A dark  _ knowing _ laugh that no human should  _ ever _ make. “You just started five? Oh Chuck, you’re in for a bad week.”

“Do you know enough about the show?” Lila interjected. She was concerned about Morgan, the girl being one of her few Traveler friends.

“According to Netflix, ‘ _ Siblings Dean and Sam cross the country, picking fights with demon, ghosts, and monsters’.  _ Dean and Cas have been eye fucking since their first scene. Probably since Misha’s audition if we’re being honest.” Morgan explained.

Katelynn laughed, sitting in a chair at Morgan’s desk. “God yes they have! It’s  _ exhausting _ ! Cas left a  _ brand _ on him. That only happens in the most romantic fanfictions!”

“Plus, there was a new episode last night.  _ ‘Goodbye Stranger’ _ , and I just...I need to be in a place that experiences that level of pain.” Morgan explained, emotion in her eyes. “It...it was  _ brutal  _ and I am _ in love _ with it and I need to be  _ surrounded  _ by it.”

Katelynn seemed to understand.

Lila was only more worried. “Everyone who watches that show is in love with pain.” Lila stated.

“It’s called  _ masochism _ . We subscribed to it the second we heard Dad hadn’t been home in a few days.” Morgan supplied with too much pep for the topic. “Okay, you’re on season 5?”

“Yeah. Finished  _ Lucifer’s Rising _ , and I’m going to watch  _ ‘Sympathy with the Devil’ _ after my shift.” Katelynn explained in cheer. She worked as Morgan’s secretary, funny enough. Well it was funny to Morgan. She never thought she’d have a  _ secretary. _

“Why wait? Watch it now!” Morgan encouraged.

“But I’m at work.” Katelynn reminded, confused.

“If  _ I’m _ not even doing my job, then neither can you.” Morgan warned, seriously. “It sets a bad image if we’re not in sync with our slacking off. Now give me your phone number, I need to send you the memes I’ve been saving.” Morgan squealed in delight. She brought out her phone. “And Tumblr stuff. Man, we’re the gods of tumblr.”

“Which is funny, considering our fandom has killed gods.” Katelynn joked.

“What do I tell Tracy?” Lila asked, looking up from a clipboard.

“ _ ‘Fuck off’ _ , and you can quote me on that.” Morgan answered, scrolling through the photos on her phone. “Okay! Katelynn with a K, look at this picture I have of Sam from  _ ‘The Mystery Spot’ _ ! It’s so funny, cause it’s true!”

 

==DG==

 

It was two days later before Morgan was satisfied with her plans.

“You  _ bitch _ !” Katelynn greeted Morgan.

The black haired girl grew a knowing smile. She was writing on her notebook. There was a lot of paperwork behind her, with colored strings connected to colored push pins, all in a code only Morgan seemed to understand. She never explained them to anyone, and no one wanted to stare at it long enough to put the code together.

Lila was in the room as well. She was mostly there to give Morgan the colored strings and push pins. She had been in the room while Morgan created that wall of terror and Lila  _ still _ couldn’t tell you why 

“Finished season 5, huh?” Morgan teased.

“I just finished  _ Swan Song _ .” Katelynn hissed. Though she was smiling too. “How could you not warn me?!”

“Oh. Poor Katelynn with a K.” Morgan made an over dramatic pout. “You thought you were ready for that emotionally, weren’t you?”

“No! I wasn’t.”

Morgan grinned. She looked over at the confused Lila. “Katelynn over there kept texting me that she  _ ‘read it on fan-wiki’  _ so she  _ ‘was prepared’ _ . Come showtime, she’s a sobbing wreck. A  _ disgrace _ to the fandom.”

“It’s okay to cry, and be a man!” Katelynn argued in a too deep voice, and a bright teasing smile. Morgan threw her head back to laugh. 

Lila was confused. Morgan, again, must’ve understood. Were they talking in code?

“Wait until you watch season six. You’re going to die.” Morgan promised, still laughing.

“I  _ want _ to say I don’t believe you.” Katelynn complained. She limped over to the couch, collapsing onto it. “But you said that about  _ Hammer of the Gods- _ ”

“Don’t bring up that emotional hell.” Morgan groaned. “My heart broke a little more when you mentioned it.”

“Don’t you miss season one? When they were  _ happy _ ?” Katelynn complained loudly.

“I don’t know. Sam just lost his girlfriend. He doesn’t  _ look _ happy. I wouldn’t be either, but I knew Jess was going to die.”

Lila felt her spirits rise when Morgan and Katelynn just open mouth  _ stared _ at her. “What? It was all over tumblr.”

“You just started the show?” Morgan asked.

“Last night, yeah.”

“What episode are you on?” Katelynn asked.

“I stopped before  _ Faith _ .” Lila admitted.

“Fuck you.” Morgan and Katelynn instantly muttered, looks of surprise on their faces. 

“Never speak to me, until you’re caught up.” Morgan warned, holding up a hand as if to distance herself from Lila’s innocence.

“You’re in season eight!”

“She’s in six. Pick your poison. Hehehe...poison. I need to write that down, I’ll need some just in case.”

The most shocking thing was the shopping list Morgan always seemed to need. Guns, bullets, swords, a rubber duck (“I didn’t think it was possible to commit murder with a rubber duck either, but I was reading some smut fic and-” “I said I didn’t want to know!”), two sawed off shotguns, and some new hunting knives.

Honestly, the woman treated all of this like some kind of destination vacation.

“Look at the brightside-” Morgan commented.

“Brightside?!” Lila screeched.

“I converted you to Supernaturalism. That’s a whole new fun brand of religion.” Morgan smirked too wide.

“When does she leave?” Lila asked Katelynn.

The other blonde glanced at a wall clock. “Soon. But she’s only gone for an hour, then we have to deal with her again.”

“I heard sometimes it was two.” Lila added with teasing hope.

Katelynn smiled with that same hope. “On if only we could be so lucky.”

“Wow. Okay. I see where I stand.” Morgan commented, putting her hands on her hips. “I would stay away longer, but then I’d be giving you blondes what you want.”

“But seriously when do you leave?” Lila asked.

Morgan groaned, head lolling back. “ _ Bitch _ es. If this is the treatment I’m gonna get, then I’m leaving now!” She marched towards the door, completely missing that she was giving the blondes what they wanted.

Lila didn’t miss it. She smiled at Katelynn. “Can I keep you around?”

“My internship isn’t done until summer, so yes.” Katelynn grinned. She sunk further down into the couch. “This is gonna be so much fun.”

Morgan came back in, grabbing her bigger on the inside bag. “Forgot my bag.” She turned her nose up, not looking at either blonde. “You’re still bitches. Good bye.”

“Later.” The blondes congregated on the couch, deciding to talk about the few episodes Lila had seen.

A part of Morgan’s heart warmed at seeing friendship start over  _ Supernatural _ .


	2. Wings Of A Raven

Dean was wrapping up a hunt, just a simple witch hunt. Nothing exciting. Nothing to take his mind of his latest  _ ‘chick flick’  _ drama with his brother. The summer of ‘05 had just ended. This meant Sam was starting his next year of Stanford. Another year out of the life, another year of getting the apple pie life Sam had never had.

First day of classes, Dean was at bar getting drunk.

It was a couple miles out from Stanford. Dean had come for a quick check up on Sam.

He needed beer or sex. Beer  _ and _ sex would be better. Anything to stop worrying about his brother.

It was barely late, maybe ten or eleven. Dean didn’t care.

There were a lot of other people in the bar. A bunch of college kids looking to get drunk, plus some guys that looked like regulars.

There was a chick at the bar that got his attention. She was hot. She had long brown hair in these waves down to her shoulders. Her skin looked naturally tan. She was dressed in a black leather jacket, long jeans, combat boots, and a black tank top. All in all, she looked hot.

So, Dean did as Dean does.

He walked to the bar, taking a seat next to her. The chick didn’t give him a glance. Dean ordered a beer, the first of many.

He put on his best flirty grin to the chick. “Hi.”

She gave him a side eye. She went back to her beer. “Hi.” She copied his flirty tone, except she clearly wasn’t interested.

He held out his hand. “Dean.”

“Raven. You are  _ not _ my type.” She replied, not missing a beat. She glanced down at his lap. “I don’t really like them with... _ parts _ .”

“Oh.”

“Sound disappointed there, hotshot.”

“Kinda am, yeah. Didn’t think...you know...they liked this type of bar.”

“They got beer. What more does it need?”

The bartender gave Dean his drink, just in time. Dean gave a little toast to her. “You got me there.”

“Except I just told you why I don’t got you _ there _ .” She made another meaningful look at his pants.

It took Dean a second to get what she meant. He laughed.

“I bet you a round that you can’t name all fifty states in ten minutes.” The woman challenged.

Dean grinned. “Oh hell yeah. I can do that.” 

“Now, get started. You time starts now.”

 

==DG==

 

He couldn’t do it.

Ten minutes, and he couldn’t remember all 50 states.

So he bought Raven a drink.

“Thanks for playing, Dean,” Raven cheered. She motioned to the bartender, giving him her drink order of a scotch before going back to Dean. “I’m actually impressed. You had me going for a bit there. You forgot Vermont-”

“Oh now way that’s cheating.” Dean argued, gulping down some of his beer.

Raven snorted. “Oh yeah? How is it cheating, Dean?”

“You made those up.” Dean replied. “There’s no way they named a state  _ ‘Vermont’ _ .”

“There’s also Oregon.”

“No that’s a trail.”

“Yeah.  _ In Oregon. _ ” Raven laughed, just in time for her drink to show up.

Dean had to admit, in the twenty minutes he had been floundering for fifty states, Raven was turning out to be a cool chick.

By morning, Dean put off the memory of the chick out of his hungover head.

 

==DG==

 

There was a case in town. Dean set out on his hunt.

It looked like a simple salt-and-burn. Some old lady hated how her great-grandkids weren’t living up to the family legacy, by having like five kids before they were twenty and having jobs that didn’t involve taking off clothes.

If Sam were here, he’d be telling Dean all the stuff he found in his research. He’d also have done it all in a few hours, instead of Dean’s full day.

Except, when Dean went to burn the body, it was already burnt to ash.

He went to the family again (more specifically, the family of the guy that died after Dean burned the body) to ask if not-so-great-grandma had anything that could have a hair or tooth in it.

They mentioned a hairbrush, though. Except it was being sold in some auction.

Just his luck.

 

==DG==

 

Dean broke into the auction house. He started looking for this stupid hairbrush-with a stupid dead lady’s last hair so that she could die.

He must’ve been right about it. Not even two minutes go by before the grandma’s ghost shows up, looking for hunter blood.

He shot off a few salt rounds, buying him time so he could find that stupid old fashioned hairbrush. The ghost flashed away, to the sound of broken glass.

Dean remembered that ghosts didn’t make a crashing noise. He turned his head to the sound, seeing a chick climbing in from the back.

It was bar chick.

“You!” Dean shouted.

She turned over to him. “ _ You _ ?”

It was like they woke up Grandma with their shouting.

The ghost came back and she was  _ pissed _ . She screeched at Dean, before going back to bar chick.

The grandma reached up for the chick. Raven grinned when the grand tried to touch her.

“Hey!” Dean shouted. He reached for his crowbar, remembering it in his jacket.

Except when grandma touched her, grandma screamed and burned.

The chick kept grinning. “Covered my jacket in salt based sunscreen. Basically.” She hopped up on her feet. “Anti-ghost wear.”

“You’re a hunter?” Dean shouted.

“Last I checked, yeah!” She moved aside just as the ghost reappeared to swing at Raven’s head. “You are too. Watch it!” She warned.

Dean had to jump back. The ghost had tried to grab his neck.

Raven ran over to the hairbrush. Dean fought off the ghost, swinging the iron crowbar at granny. It was enough of a distraction for Raven to burn the brush. Granny fell to ashes.

“You burned the body, huh?” Dean asked after the blood rush of the fight faded off.

“So you’re the FED I’ve been worried about?” Raven countered.

“Winchester.” Dean added.

The hunter smirked. “Quinzel.”

They gave each other a head nod.

 

==DG==

 

By morning, Dean and Raven had told the family that they were safe. It was for good this time.

“Mind of I drive with you?” Raven asked. “It’s just, when I burned the body she trashed my car.”

“Yeah sure.” Dean let her take the seat. Raven tossed a dark green sack in the backseat. “Only to the next town over.”

“Thanks.”

“What kind of car?” Dean asked when he started up the Impala.

“A crappy truck. Toyota 1987.” Raven reported. “I had her painted black, even had the trunk fixed up to keep ghosts and demons out.”

“Really, demons?” Dean began the long drive out. “Sounds tough.”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to take the chance that they’d take my supplies. It’s in that sack now.” Raven explained. “But dude, I gotta show you my stuff. It’s  _ awesome _ .”

This started what ended up being a great friendship 


	3. Supernatural

The car jerked forward as it’s driver pressed on the brakes.

Though we’d only said we’d drive together for a few days, Dean Winchester and Raven Quinzel were becoming a good pair of hunters. 

Neither of us wanted to admit we were using the other to get over the loss of our sibling. Dean reminded me of my sister. She was a flirt. She wasn’t having a proper weekend until she had sex with two guys (if it was at the same time, then yay). She was a soldier, an assassin trained to hunt the monsters of the world. I reminded him of Sam. There had been a lot of times he found my nose deep in a book, sometimes for a hunt and sometimes not.

I’d taught him how to make the salt paste for jackets. He taught me the proper way to fire rock salt, without falling back on your ass. Good skills, in the long run. We learned from each other.

I woke up harshly, glaring at Dean. He sat in his seat ignoring my death glare. The seasoned hunter only acknowledged me when he looked towards the house.

Dean was staring intensely at the building. He didn’t make any real moves towards it, just sitting in the driver’s seat with a tense form.

“This isn’t a bar.” My deadpan would’ve been more effective if I wasn’t pulling myself up from the floor. “You said we were getting drinks.”

The hunter gave me a sort of glare. It fell flat when he looked back the building with hesitation. 

“This is his house, isn’t?” I asked carefully, wanting to pacify the glare. Dean’s tense shoulders loosened. “So buck up, and go get your nerd of a brother.”

Dean eyed me. He gave me a half confident smirk. “Whatever the lady wants.”

“You’re damn right.” I smirked. In excitement I whacked him on the leather covered arm. “You better walk out in five, or I’m gonna come after you.” I reminded him, giving him a warning look.

“We’ll shoot you.” Dean warned. There was an indecisive look on his face that was gone in a second.

“That’ll be a laugh.” Though he didn’t hear me, since he had already left the car and slammed the door shut.

While waiting, I pulled out my phone to get a good song or two in before running up after the idiots. A play or two of  _ ‘Dead Girl Walking’ _ was long enough for a wait.

Chances were, Dean was waiting in front of Sam’s door piss pants scared. On TV, the man was brazen as all hell. When it came to family shit, the boy was drowning.

“That’s five.” I pushed the passenger door open.

I ran up to Sam’s apartment. Dean had been going over this hard for two weeks so we knew as much about this place as probably Sam himself. It was easy to reach his apartment, then pick the lock of his apartment.

Pushing the door open, I could see the two brothers having a lovely reunion in the dark.

“Dean?” I called out.

The hunter stared at me in surprise. “You said you would wait in the car!” He hissed.

“I said I would give you five minutes, then I’d come in after you.” I reminded him.

“That wasn’t five minutes!” Dean whined.

The lights switched on, so I got a better look at Sam’s place and the man himself.

He was a  _ baby _ . The hair short enough that it didn’t reach his shoulders, choosing instead to flair out like angel wings around his head. There were no lines on his face from all the years of loss, centuries in Hell as Lucifer’s playtoy. His lips were in their typical Sam frown, the one you saw in the later seasons more often than not. There were just some bags under his eyes from the sleepless nights of college (and having sleepovers with your girlfriend). His expression was a flat lip of annoyance, staring at Dean and I like we were cats that kept finding a way into your apartment (except you don’t have a cat door or open windows).

Standing by the light switch, I saw the gorgeous face of Jess, wearing a cropped Smurf shirt and booty shorts. Not gonna lie, she was hot. Just wish blondes were my type...

That was another fun thing about being in this universe. This Raven Quinzel, she was more  _ open _ than Morgan Spencer had ever been. Back Home, I’d bite my tongue off before admitting I was bi. Raven didn’t have that silent trait, apparently.

Yeah I said _ bi _ . I totally lied to Dean.

“Sam?” Jess asked. She nervously observed her boyfriend, then the two strangers in her house.

The two knuckleheads turned to her. It was funny how stupid they were when they were arguing.

“Jess. Hey.” Sam found his voice. “Dean, this is my girlfriend, Jessica.”

Dean was just getting lost in her...eyes.

“And...who are you?” Sam asked, eyeing me dare I say angrily.

“Raven Quinzel.” I answered, with a clever smirk. “His friend.”

“Yeah. Friend.” Dean murmured, still staring at Jess.

“Wait, your brother Dean?” Jess smiled happily at the older hunter.

Sam nodded. The only thing he really could do with Dean standing in the room like that.

“Oh, I love the Smurfs.” Dean complimented. “You know, I gotta tell you. You are completely out of my brother’s league.”

“You are.” Was my input.

Jess nervously started to back away. “Just let me put something on.” She had nearly escaped when Dean called her back.

“No, no, no, I wouldn’t dream of it. Seriously.” He went back towards Sam. He didn’t once look away from Jess.

Sam was annoyed, no doubt used to it after two decades of living with him. Me, on the other hand, I had eight seasons of this so that was  _ like  _ eight _ decades _ of Winchester flirting.

“Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business.” He glanced at me, probably trying to get me to leave too. I just smiled innocently, not moving. “But, uh, nice meeting you.” He gave up with me. He instead just smiled politely at Jess.

“It really was.” I smirked.

“No.” Sam shook his head. goes over to Jess and puts an arm around her. Sam “No, whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her.”

Dean and I exchanged a look. 

“Okay.” The other hunter braced himself. “Um. Dad hasn’t been home in a few days.”

“So he’s working overtime on a Miller Time shift. He’ll stumble back in sooner or later.” Sam responded sassily.

Well, John _ was _ a drunk.

Dean just schooled his features. Sam was being difficult, which according to Dean on the way up here was kinda expected. “Dad’s on a  _ hunting trip _ . And he hasn’t been home in a few days.”

Sam had the best poker face.

“Jess, excuse us. We have to go outside.”

 

==DG==

 

“I mean, come on. You can’t just break in, middle of the night, with your girlfriend-”

“Not my girlfriend.”

“-and expect me to hit the road with the two of you.” Sam argued as he were leaving his apartment.

“You’re not hearing me, Sammy. Dad’s  _ missing _ .” Dean stressed. He paused on the stairs to give his brother a stern look. I stopped beside him, looking at Sam with impatience. “I need you to help me find him.”

“You remember the poltergeist in Amherst?” The student reminded when they started back down the stairs. I had to rush to keep up with Dean. These two had long legs! “Or the Devil’s Gates in Clifton? He was missing then, too. He’s always missing, and he’s always fine.”

Again, Dean stopped in the middle of the stairs.

“Not for this long.” Dean stressed.

“And why can’t she help you find him?” Sam motioned to me.

“Because I don’t know anything about John.” I explained. “Not as well as you and Dean.”

“Then why are you even here?” Sam snapped.

“Dean asked.” I replied. “Now are you gonna come with us or not?”

“I’m not.” Sam answered matter-of-factly.

“Why not?” Dean asked. Ever the mature older brother.

“I swore I was done hunting. For good.” Sam narrowed his eyes at Dean.

“Come on. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t that bad.” His brother brushed off, walking down the rest of the stairs.

I followed. We were headed towards the door.

“Yeah?” Sam turned to me. “Hey, maybe this’ll tell you something about  _ John Winchester _ . When I told Dad I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45.”

I didn’t let my wince show. When my sister was six, she was already learning how to use a blade. She was seven before I started training her with guns. 

“I can’t really say anything negative about that, cause it’s a good idea.” I admitted. “That happened when... _ I _ was a kid. Saved my life more than once.”

“Well, what was he supposed to do?” Dean agreed with me, though more in defense of his dad.

“I was nine years old!” Sam argued. He was now glaring at us in disgust. “He was supposed to say, _ ‘don’t be afraid of the dark’ _ .”

Dean stared at his brother as if his ear had doubled in size. “ _ Don’t be afraid of the dark _ ? Are you kidding me?” He asked. “Of course you should be afraid of the dark. You know what’s out there.”

His brother huffed. “Yeah, I know, but still. The way we grew up, after Mom was killed, and Dad’s  _ obsession _ to find the thing that killed her.” Sam ranted. The older Winchester and I looked anywhere else but him. “But we still haven’t found the damn thing. So we kill everything we can find.”

“We save a lot of people doing it, too.” Dean pointed out.

“You think Mom would have wanted this for us?” Sam countered.

_ ‘No. She didn’t.’ _

 

==DG==

 

Sam’s complaining didn’t stop. If anything, our ignoring him made him angrier. “You have no idea what it was like.” He explained to me. “The weapon training, and melting the silver into bullets! We were raised like warriors.”

“Not seeing the problem with that. I was raised one too.” I stated. “It wasn’t  _ that  _ crappy a childhood.”

In truth, it wasn’t. When you don’t have parents, you can raise yourself however you please. Can I be faulted for wanting to grow up a fighter? I liked being the nomad that I was. There were times when things were tough, when I struggled to get food on the table. Still, Darcy and I made it work.

This seemed to be enough for Sam to realize his argument on hunting would be lost on me. He huffed, going back to his bratty bitch face.

“So what are you gonna do? You’re just gonna live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?” Dean challenged.

“No. Not normal.  _ Safe _ .” Sam corrected, giving Dean a hard challenging look back.

I snorted. “Are you kidding me? College kids are the least safe people on the planet! Just look at  _ every _ horror movie ever: college kids die in those.”  _ ‘You wouldn’t die, Sam, because you’re the smartest college kid I know...which is kinda like being the tallest dwarf.’ _

“And that’s why you ran away.” Dean stated. Coldly. Hurtly. Hoping no one notices how much it hurt to let Sam leave.

“I was just going to college. It was Dad who said if I was gonna go I should stay gone.” Sam reminded in a matter-of-fact voice. I glared at him on Dean’s behalf.  _ ‘John is an asshole.’  _ “And that’s what I’m doing.”

_ ‘You’ve never listened to him once in your life. How come the only time you did it was to leave Dean alone with him?’ _

“Yeah, well, Dad’s in real trouble right now. If he’s not dead already.” Dean reminded. “I can feel it.” Sam didn’t say anything to that. “I can’t do this alone.” Dean begged.

Sam shook his head. “You’re doing it with her.”

“He won’t do it  _ without you. _ ” I corrected. “To be honest, I won’t either. Your brother talked up a big game about you. I’d like to see if he was right.”

This almost surprised Sam. Guess he didn’t think Dean would brag about his baby brother to anyone, much less a virtual stranger. He was a seasoned hunter, his expression didn’t flinch at the news. His poker face was fit for any high stakes game. There was a spark of submission in his brown eyes. He was going to say yes.

“What was he hunting?” He asked Dean.

Dean was satisfied with his answer. He walked over to the trunk of the Impala. He popped it open, then the secret second compartment. “All right, let’s see, where the hell did I put that thing?”

“So when Dad left, why didn’t you go with him?” Sam asked Dean.

“We were working our own gig.” Dean answered. He looked over at me. “This, uh, voodoo thing, down in New Orleans, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. And you left the folder under that rifle.”

I had done it with him. Dean had spoken with John over the phone, so I was spared the presence of John Winchester. It was a bit of disappointment. My fist wanted to meet his cheek.

“Dad let you go on a hunting trip by _ yourself _ ?” Sam asked. His eyes were wide in surprise. His mouth was an ‘o’ shape. He looked over at me, which made his eyebrows fly up to his bangs. “With  _ her _ ?”

I smiled toothily at him. A small, _ ‘fight me’ _ chuckle came from my throat. “I’m  _ right  _ here.”

Dean gave his brother an indignant stare, which made me smile wider. “I’m twenty-six, dude. I don’t need his permission for who I hang out with.”

He moved aside the rifle, revealing the folder of old newspapers. “All right, here we go. So Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago, this guy.” He gave the folder to the student lawyer. “They found his car, but he vanished. Completely MIA.”

Sam gave the file a quick glance. He turned a few pages, then shrugged. “So maybe he was kidnapped.” He excused.

“You’d think that, until you heard of the man in April.” I gave Sam the other newspaper. “Then going back, you have one in ‘04, ‘03, ‘98, ‘92.  _ Ten _ men over the past twenty years go missing over the same five-mile stretch of road.” I explained. When I was done, I took the newspapers back from Sam and stuffed them back into the pack. I put my hands on my hips, confident that Sam couldn’t argue against  _ that. _

_ ‘Besides, he’s a Stanford student. I am a proud Harvard  _ grad _. Suck it, Stanford.’ _

“It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around.” Dean took over the talk. “That was about three weeks ago. I hadn’t heard from him since, which is bad enough.” He pulled out one of the burner phones. “Then I get this voicemail yesterday.”

_ “Dean...something big is starting to happen...I need to try and figure out what’s going on. It may... Be very careful, Dean. We’re all in danger.” _

He clapped the phone shut.

Dean and I were giving Sam matching challenging looks. A dare to call us out. A dare to back out now. A dare to leave his family behind.

He took it like a champ. “You know there’s EVP on that?” Sam asked.

“Not bad, Sammy. Kinda like riding a bike, isn’t it?” Dean encouraged.

Sam shook his head. There was an under hit of the Bitch-face.

Dean made a face. The dark blond eyebrows lowered. His green eyes narrowed a bit. His lips thinned. If you watch this show long enough, you’d recognize it as the face he makes before arguing with Sam.

“Dean slowed the message down.” I explained before Dean could say anything that’d start a fight. I looked at Sam with a straight face. In the corner of my eye, I kept watch of Dean’s expression. “Ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss, everything. He got something out of it.” With a bit of impatience, I looked to Dean.

The hunter huffed at having the wind taken out of his wings. He pulled out the tape recorder, pressing play.

_ “I can never go home...” _

He stopped it.

“Never go home.” Sam repeated.

Dean tossed the recorder back in the trunk. He stood up straight. It nearly made him as tall as Sam. He closed the trunk. Looking at Sam over his shoulder, Dean leaned over the trunk. I rested my hip against Baby’s side. “You know, in almost two years I’ve never bothered you, never asked you for a thing.”

Sam looks away and sighs, then looks back. Sam “All right. I’ll go. I’ll help you find him.”

Dean nodded, victorious.

“But I have to get back first thing Monday.” Sam warned. “Just wait here.” He turned towards his apartment.

“What’s first thing Monday?” Dean called out before Sam could get far.

“Is it a thing with the girlfriend?” I asked, being deliberately wrong. “Cause I can get you back here if it’s about your girlfriend.”

It would occur to me in five minutes that something  _ does _ happen to his girlfriend on Monday. And that unless I wanted to die pointlessly, it would happen while Sam watched. 

“I have this...I have an interview.” Sam admitted.

“What, a job interview? Skip it.” Dean encouraged easily.

Sam gave us both a mockingly arrogant face. “It’s a law school interview, and it’s my whole future on a plate.” Sam countered.

“Law school?” Dean smirked proudly.

Sam huffed. In the annoyance of a child truly done with his parents. “So we got a deal or not?”

His brother didn’t say a thing against it. Neither did I.

Satisfied, Sam walked away.

I waited until he was climbing the stairs to look at Dean. “You know, I thought he’d be shorter.”

Dean gave me a half hearted snort. He pushed himself off the trunk, making his way to the driver’s seat.

My shoulder slumped some. He hadn’t looked away from where Sam left.

 

==DG==

 

Dean had been driving for a few hours before we stopped at a gas station. I was wandering the aisles grabbing various bits of snacks, beer, and candy. I was a sucker for peanut butter cups and caramels. Besides that, I had picked up extra containers of salt and other ingredients for the salt jackets. Sam was going to need one later for the whole thing with Constance.

Checking out, I thought I had an impressive amount of road trip snacks. I made my way back to the Impala. Dean was right behind me.

“Hey!” Dean called over to his brother. The younger looked at us, away from the box of tapes he was sifting through. “You want breakfast?” I opened a pack of mini donuts, taking a bite of one.

“No, thanks.” He grimaced at all the greasy sugary food. “So how’d you pay for that stuff? You and Dad still running credit card scams?” Sam asked, not hiding his distaste.

“I’ll have you know this was all paid for by the lovely-” I pulled out the wallet I had stolen three days prior. “-Miss Heather Chandler. She is filthy rich and felt generous when she left her purse open in front of me!”

Dean snorted at me. He turned back to his brother, not letting Sam off. “Yeah, well, hunting ain’t exactly a pro ball career.” He put the gas nozzle away. “Besides, all we do is apply. It’s not our fault they send us the cards.”

“Yeah?” Sam scoffed. “And what names did you write on the application this time?” He pulled himself back in the car. The window was open so he could still hear us.

I climbed in the backseat. The backseat had mostly been claimed by me when we picked up Sam. My Infinity Bag was on the seat behind Sam. My body was able to comfortably lie back against the side. Dean had some beers of his own back here in the space between the seats. I put my bags of food down next to the beers.

There was a giddy part of me that kept thinking this was my first road trip with the Winchesters. If I thought I could get away with it, I’d take out my iphone and take pictures. The disposable camera would have to do for now.

“Uh, Burt Aframian.” Dean answered Sam as he climbed in the car. He put his food beside his seat. “And his son Hector. Scored two cards out of the deal.” He grinned proudly.

“Dude nice.” I complimented.

“That sounds about right.” Sam shook his head. “I swear, man, you’ve gotta update your cassette tape collection.”

Dean puffed his chest up. “Why?” He asked, ready to defend his tunes.

To be honest, I started snickering.

“Well, for one, they’re cassette tapes. And two.” Sam holds up a tape for every band he names. Sam “Black Sabbath? Motorhead? Metallica?”

“Metallica. Sweet!” I reached for the tape.

Sam glared at us in annoyance. “It’s the greatest hits of mullet rock.”

Dean yanked it away from both of our grubby hands.

“Dude! I wanted to play it!” I defended.

Dean’s eyes glared at me. “I still don’t like you touching it. Last time you nearly tossed it.”

“You turned the car!” I defended for what felt like the hundredth time. “Of  _ course  _ the tape would fly out of my hand!”

“Well, house rules, Sammy.” He pushed the tape in the tape player, pulling out the second Metallica tape. “Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.” He dropped the other one back in the box, while also turning on the engine.

The Impala purred for him. The music blasted out of the speakers. I started playing air drums to the music.

“You know, Sammy is a chubby twelve-year-old.” He tried to shout over the music. “It’s Sam, okay?”

His brother pretended not to hear. “Sorry, I can’t hear you, the music’s too loud.”

He drove the Impala out of the gas station.

 

==DG==

 

It was another three hours before we made it to the Jericho sign.

“Thank you.” Sam sighed when he finished his phone call. “All right. So, there’s no one matching Dad at the hospital or morgue. So that’s something, I guess.”

“Whoa.” I pulled myself up in the seat, pointing towards the bridge. You could make out a pair of police cars. “Check it out.”

The two brothers moved for a closer look. Once they saw what I saw, they tensed. Dean pulled over. The three of us watched the police cars, looking for any sign of John. When there wasn’t any, Dean pulled the fake ID’s out of the glove box.

I went to my Bag, searching for some of mine. There was one from my days in the FBI that I had swapped out Raven’s face for. With Dean’s help, I had a few extra. I had come up with a quick lie telling him my other ones were getting old.

Dean held up his marshal badge. I held mine up beside it. The two of us exchanged grins while Sam watched this utter disregard for law in horror.

“Let’s go.” Dean decided.

Though I wasn’t in a pantsuit, my outfit looked _ kinda _ professional. It was a blue plaid shirt, with a white tank under. My jeans were dark and new, with dark brown boots. All in all, not the least professional thing I’d seen someone wear. I took off the plaid shirt, pulling out a dark brown jacket from the Bag.

With my disguise ready, I climbed out of the car. It was not time before I was walking beside Dean. My shoulders were squared back with enough confidence to keep up my story.

It was the straw that made Sam get out of the car.

“You guys find anything?” Jaffe shouted from the bridge.

“No! Nothing!” An officer shouted from the river below.

The officer huffed, walking back to the car.

“No sign of struggle, no footprints, no fingerprints. Spotless.” Hein reported from the driver’s side. “It’s almost too clean.”

The brothers and I walked in the crime scene. They started glancing around for clues on what this thing was. I knew better. Instead, I found myself scanning for what I would when I was a fed.

Hein was right. There was nothing here that was suspicious except for the abandoned car.

“So, this kid Troy. He’s dating your daughter, isn’t he?”

“Yeah.”

“How’s Amy doing?”

“She’s putting up missing posters downtown.”

“You fellas had another one like this just last month, didn’t you?” Dean asked.

Jaffe turned his head to Dean, suddenly noticing him and us. “And who are you?”

Dean pulled out his badge. “Federal marshals.” He shoved it back in his pocket before Jaffe could get a good read.

“You three are a little young for marshals, aren’t you?” Jaffe questioned.

“Thanks. I moisturize.” I stated, walking over to Hein’s side of the car. The officer was giving me an untrusting glare. I pretended to look over Troy’s seat.

“You did have another one just like this, correct?” Dean pressed with Jaffe.

Jaffe nodded, still unsure about us being here. “Yeah, that’s right. About a mile up the road. There’ve been others before that.”

“So, this victim, you knew him?” Sam asked.  _ Finally  _ getting involved.

“Town like this, everybody knows everybody.” Jaffe explained.

“These victims were all men.” I stated, coming up from my crouched position. It was doing murder on my thighs. “Is there any other connection than that?”

“No. Not so far as we can tell.” Jaffe admitted.

“So what’s the theory?” Sam asked, as he and Dean made their way to me.

“Honestly, we don’t know. Serial murder? Kidnapping ring?” Jaffe guessed.

“Well, that is exactly the kind of crack police work I’d expect out of you guys.”

I kicked his shin the same time Sam stomped on his foot.

“Thank you for your time.” Said Sam diplomatically before he walked away. “Gentlemen.”

I gave them my brightest smile before following him. Dean followed me.

Once we were far enough away, Dean smacked both of us on the head.

“Ow!”

“Geez!”

“What was that for?” Sam asked, rubbing the spot.

“Why’d you have to step on my foot and kick my shin?” Dean challenged.

“Why do you have to talk to the police like that?” Sam countered.

“Will you two shut up! Then can still see us!” I reminded them.

Dean stepped in front of us, effectively blocking our path. “Come on. They don’t really know what’s going on. We’re all alone on this.” He argued. Behind him, proper feds were coming up. “I mean, if we’re going to find Dad we’ve got to get to the bottom of this thing ourselves.”

I was tempted to kick his shin to shut him up. Sam saved my skin, clearing his throat and looking over Dean’s shoulder.

Dean turned to face the sheriff. “Can I help you boys?” Sheriff Pierce asked.

“No, sir, we were just leaving.” Dean assured. The two agents walked past him. “Agent Mulder. Agent Scully.”

The three of us went back to the Impala.

 

==DG==

 

We went into town. Our only lead was the girlfriend, Amy. 

We found her by the movie theatre. The goth was hanging up pictures with Troy’s face.

“I’ll bet you that’s her.” Dean stated.

“Yeah.” Sam and I agreed.

We walked up to her.

“You must be Amy.” Dean greeted.

“Yeah.” She replied, cooly.

“Yeah, Troy told us about you.” Dean smiled warmly at her. “We’re his uncles, and his aunt. I’m Dean, this is Sammy, and that’s Raven.”

“He never mentioned you to me.” Amy replied easily. She turned to walk away.

Dean, Sam, and I walked with her.

“Well, that’s Troy, I guess.” I laughed. “We’re not around much, we’re up in Modesto.”

“So, we’re looking for him too, and we’re kinda asking around.” Sam joined in on the fun.

That was when another goth, Rachel, came up. She put a comforting arm over her friend. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Amy nodded.

“You mind if we ask you a couple questions?” Sam asked.

They said it was okay.

There was a local diner they told us about. The five of us were seated at a booth, with Winchester opposite the girls, and me at the head of the table.

“I was on the phone with Troy. He was driving home. He said he would call me right back, and...he never did.” Amy explained.

“He didn’t say anything strange, or out of the ordinary?” Sam asked.

“No. Nothing I can remember.” Amy answered.

“Cute necklace.” I complimented, trying to lift her spirits.

She held up the pentagram necklace. She smiled. “Troy gave it to me. Mostly to scare my parents-” She laughed. “-with all that devil stuff.”

“Actually, it means just the opposite. A pentagram is protection against evil. Really powerful.” Sam explained before remembering himself. “I mean, if you believe in that kind of thing.”

“Okay. Thank you, Unsolved Mysteries.” Dean teased. He leaned forward in the booth. “Here’s the deal, ladies. The way Troy disappeared, something’s not right. So if you’ve heard anything...”

The girls exchanged a nervous look.

“What is it?” Dean asked.

“Well, it’s just... I mean, with all these guys going missing, people talk.” Rachel shrugged it off.

“What do they talk about?” Dean, Sam, and I asked.

Rachel shifted in her seat. She leaned forward on her elbows, looking down at her clenched hands. “It’s kind of this local legend. This one girl? She got murdered out on Centennial, like decades ago. Well, supposedly she’s still out there. She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up? Well, they disappear forever.”

The three of us shared a look.

_ ‘We had a ghost.’ _

 

==DG==

 

Dean was trying-and failing- to look up anything. 

After ten minutes of failing to find anything, Sam pushed Dean out of the way. “Let me try.”

“I got it.” Dean pushed Sam back. 

The younger shoves his brother away into my seat. I fell to the floor, landing on my bag. It hurt. 

“Stupid nerds.” I grumbled. Pushing myself to my feet, I grabbed Sam’s old chair.

“Dude!” The older smacked his brother. “You’re such a control freak.”

“You’re both idiots so it balances out.” I snarked, trying to get comfortable in the new seat. It was  _ warm _ and  _ weird _ .

“So angry spirits are born out of violent death, right?” Sam asked, ignoring us both.

“Yeah.” Dean and I grumbled.

“Well, maybe it’s not murder.” Sam changed  _ murder _ to  _ suicide _ . This one got us a result. “This was 1981. Constance Welch, twenty-four years old, jumps off Sylvania Bridge, drowns in the river.”

A picture of Constance was beside it.

“Does the article say why she jumped?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Sam scrolled down.

“What?” I pressed.

“An hour before they found her, she calls 911. Apparently her two little kids are in the bathtub. She leaves them alone for a minute, and when she comes back, they aren’t breathing. Both die.” Sam read off.

“Hm.” Dean and I huffed in sympathy.

“ _ ‘Our babies were gone, and Constance just couldn’t bear it,’ said husband Joseph Welch’. _ ” Sam read off.

“The bridge look familiar to you?” Dean asked, pointing at the bridge we passed on the way to town.

 

==DG==

 

That night, Dean drove us back to the bridge. The moon was half full, so everything was cloaked in darkness.

Dean leaned over the railing, staring down at the rocks below. I stayed closer to the road. Heights had never been great for me. “So this is where Constance took the swan dive.”

“Unless they’re another bridge exactly like this one that we missed.” I snarked.

“So you think Dad would have been here?” Sam asked.

“Well, he’s chasing the same story and we’re chasing him.” Dean reasoned.

We continued walking down the bridge, waiting for Constance. I knew she wouldn’t come just yet.

“Okay, so now what?” Sam asked, impatiently.

“Now we keep digging until we find him.” Dean reasoned. “Might take a while.”

Sam stopped in his step. His glare was visible under the moonlit. “Dean, I told you, I’ve gotta get back by Monday-”

“Monday.” Dean interrupted. I stopped in my step, lowering my head in annoyance. My brown hair fell over my face like a shroud. “Right. The interview.”

“Yeah.” Sam bitched.

“Yeah, I forgot.” Dean brushed away. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you? You think you’re just going to become some lawyer? Marry your girl?”

“Maybe. Why not?” Sam asked.

“Does Jessica know the truth about you? I mean, does she know about the things you’ve done?” Dean argued.

“Can you two stop arguing for five straight minutes?” I asked.

“No, and she’s not ever going to know.” Sam swore.

“Well, that’s healthy.” Dean scoffed. “You can pretend all you want, Sammy. But sooner or later you’re going to have to face up to who you really are.”

“Don’t you say it.” I warned Dean.

“And who’s that?” Sam challenged.

“You’re one of us.” Dean stated in an  _ ‘I’m the big brother so I’m right’  _ voice.

“Oh dear Storyline he said it.” I pinched my forehead with my fingers. “Guys we’re trying to hunt-”

“No. I’m not like you. This is not going to be my life.” Sam argued.

“You have a responsibility to-” Dean snapped.

“To Dad? And his crusade? If it weren’t for pictures I wouldn’t even know what Mom looks like.” Sam argued, his voice low. “And what difference would it make? Even if we do find the thing that killed her, Mom’s gone. And she isn’t coming back.”

I jumped back when Dean grabbed Sam by the collar.

“Hey!” I hissed. “Put him down! We’ll get the wrong attention!”

That was when I saw Constance on the bridge.

“Uh...boys?”

But Dean wasn’t listening to me. He was glaring Sam down, despite the height different. “Don’t talk about her like that.” He warned Sam.

The younger brother relented.

Dean let him go.

I punched both of their arms. They winced, rubbing at the marks.

“Way to go boys!” I snapped. I waved my arm in the direction of Constance. “We got her attention at least!”

The brothers looked off towards Constance. They both tensed.

The ghost turned her head towards us. Before anyone could move, she stepped over the edge.

I ran up to where she had been. Sam and Dean behind me.

“Where’d she go?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know.” Sam replied.

“Did you salt the car like I told you to?” I asked Dean.

He furrowed his eyebrows at the question.

I was answered by the bright headlights switching on.

“What the-” Dean asked.

“Who’s driving your car?” Sam asked.

“Found Constance.” I answered.

Dean swore under his breath.

Dean pulled out his car keys, as if to prove they were there. Sam stared at them in surprise.

Then we started running.

The car was coming closer and closer to us. Baby was trying to kill us. It was some cosmic joke that had the angels laughing upstairs. No doubt Chuck was losing his mind.

In the end, we had to jump off the bridge.

 

==DG==

 

My hands grabbed on to the metal bars below. My feet dangled below me. It was some work swinging them back up so I was in danger of falling.

When I made it back to the bridge, I clasped my hands on the railings to hold on for dear life.

“Sam? Dean?” I called out. “Boys!”

In the water, I could see two figures climbing out of the water. Dean hadn’t surprised me, Sam had. I guess I took his space on the bridge.

“What?” They called up.

“You too okay?” I asked.

“Well...we’re not dead.” Sam answered.

Dean held up a gesture for okay. “We’re super.”

Pressing my back against the railing, I nodded. A laugh bubbled up from my throat.  _ ‘They’re idiots.’ _

Below, I heard Sam laughing too.

 

==DG==

 

Dean’s first action when he made it back up the bridge was to check on the Impala.

“Your car all right?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, whatever she did to it, seems all right now.” Dean shook his head. He glared off in the direction we had last seen Constance. “That Constance chick, what a bitch!”

“Well, she doesn’t want us digging around, that’s for sure. So where’s the job go from here, genius?” Sam asked. He leaned against the hood of the car beside me.

I grimaced. “We’re not doing anything until you two shower. You smell like toilets.”

The two brothers looked themselves. Their matching grimaces told me they could smell it too.

 

==DG==

 

It was morning by the time we made it to a motel.

“One room, please.” Dean threw down the Aframain card. The two of them were still gross sticky messes. 

The clerk looked down at the card. “You guys having a reunion or something?” He asked.

“What do you mean?” Sam asked,

“I had another guy, Burt Aframian. He came and bought out a room for the whole month.” The clerk admitted. He went to 

The three of us exchanged knowing looks.

 

==DG==

 

Sam picked the lock of John’s hotel room.

The walls were covered in printed out articles. John had picked out related supernatural photos. The dead men had their own wall.

John was _ good _ .

“Whoa.” Sam and I breathed out.

Dean turned on the light, showing off more detail of the room. As neat and organized as the walls were, the rest of it was a dump. Half eaten food thrown around, a few old shirts stuffed by the bed, coupled with a smell that said the room hadn’t been aired out in at least a week.

“I don’t think he’s been here for a couple days at least.”

“Really, I would’ve said a week.” I tried to avoid smelling the overripe room. I walked over to the wall with Constance’s face slapped on.

“Salt, cats-eye shells...he was worried. Trying to keep something from coming in.” Sam pointed out. “What have you got here?” He asked Dean.

“Centennial Highway victims.” Dean noted. “I don’t get it. I mean, different men, different jobs, ages, ethnicities. There’s always a connection, right? What do these guys have in common?”

“I think your dad figured it out.” I spoke up.

“What do you mean?” Sam asked.

“He found the same article you did.” I pointed at the printed out paper, then trailed my finger down to the photo of the woman in white. “She’s a woman in white.”

“You sly dogs.” Dean spoke to the wall of victims. “All right, so if we’re dealing with a woman in white, Dad would have found the corpse and destroyed it.”

“She might have another weakness.” Sam thought out loud.

“Well, Dad would want to make sure.” Dean came up to my side. “He’d dig her up. Does it say where she’s buried?”

I scanned it. “Doesn’t say.”

“If I were Dad, though, I’d go ask her husband.” Sam came up on my other side, tapping the photo of Joseph Welch. “If he’s still alive.”

“All right. Why don’t you two, uh, see if you can find an address, I’m gonna get cleaned up.” Dean instructed.

“When your done, it’s his turn to shower.” I poked Sam’s shoulder (trying to avoid the mud and other questionable things there.)

Sam grimaced at his own untidy self. Dean just laughed. He went inside the bathroom. I was willing to bet money it smelled as horrible as the rest of the room. I made my way towards one of the other walls to avoid the smell.

“Hey, Dean?” Sam spoke up. Dean paused, turning back to his brother. “What I said earlier, about Mom and Dad, I’m sorry.”

“No chick-flick moments.” Dean warned.

It was clear he had let the whole thing go. My lips curled up in a warm smile 

“All right.” Sam laughed. “Jerk.”

“Bitch.” Dean shot back.

“Idiots.” I snickered.

Sam laughed again. As Dean left, Sam noticed the photo his dad had pinned up. He went up to pick it up. His smile was fond now.

“What happened to her?” I asked, once I heard the sounds of Dean starting the shower.

Sam turned over to me. The photo was still in his hand. “Dean didn’t say?”

I shook my head. “You know him. He’s not a guy for heart to hearts. That and...it sounds like a personal story. You’ve been talking about it and I...just feel weird being out of the know.”

Sam let out that small little half laugh he does. The kind that’s under his breath, but lights up his whole face. “Yeah. I guess I made it kinda awkward bringing it up earlier, huh?”

“You did, yeah. Thanks for that.” I teased.

He snorted. “Yeah well...it’s not the kind of story you start friendships with.”

_ ‘It’s the story you use to make friendships _ last. _ ’ _

He settled down beside me on the bed. I tilted my body away to avoid the mud. “Mom was killed by a demon when i was six months old. She died in my nursery. Dad says he found her, burning on the ceiling.” He sighed, as if hearing the story for the first time all over again. “He started hunting after that. He took Dean and me with him, raising us to be hunters. Except when I was seventeen I was offered a scholarship. Dad said if I took it, I wasn’t allowed back. So I left.”

I bumped my shoulder against his. It would’ve been a stretch if he had been standing. “I can’t remember a time I wasn’t in the life. My sister...she hunted with me too.” My smile dropped at the memory of my sister. Instead was a heartbreaking frown. “She died a couple years back...it...it’s still hard to talk about, you know?”

“Yeah, it’s alright. I get it.” Sam went to put his hand around my back, then thought better of it. His hand was covered in mud so I was thankful. “As annoying as Dean is, I don’t know what I’d do if he died.”

_ ‘You get hooked on demon blood. I don’t like thinking about it either.’  _ “...I hope you never have too. I hate my life without...” _ ‘What was her fake name here again? Holy  _ crap _ this is irritating.’ _ “...Ivy.”

“Raven and Ivy Quinzel?”

“What, we can’t have fake names?” I challenged with a mocking grin. Sam raised his eyebrow at me. “Kinda hiding from... _ things _ . Can’t exactly go by my birth name. They’d find me and kill me. As much as I love my sister, I’m in no hurry to join her in the afterlife. She’d kick my ass for dying this young.”

Sam gave me a look of assurance.

Then, we got on looking up the address of Joseph Welch.

It had felt good to talk about my sister. Back Home, I couldn’t say much without getting _ looks _ . No one liked hearing about my assassin of a sister. Talking about her, in any context, was relaxing. Freeing.

It didn’t shake away the grief I felt without her, though.

 

==DG==

 

Sam was finishing his shower up now. Dean had finished up five minutes ago. Already, the room was smelling better.

When Sam stepped out, Dean went back into hunter mode.

“Hey, guys. I’m starving, I’m gonna grab a little something to eat in that diner down the street. You want anything?” Dean asked.

“No.” Sam grabbed his jacket. (Which I had covered in the salt cream while he was in the shower)

“Aframian’s buying.” Dean offered.

“Mm-mm.” Sam shook the water off his hair.

“Ooh take me!” I raised my arm.

Dean grinned. He opened the door, walking out. He left it open for me. I ran out.

We didn’t get far before seeing Jaffe and Hein in the parking lot, talking to the clerk.

Dean pulled his phone, calling Sam.

_ “What?” _ Sam asked when he answered.

“Dude, five-oh, take off.” Dean warned.

_ “What about you guys?”  _ Sam asked, on alert.

“Uh, they kinda spotted us. Go find Dad.” Dean ordered. He clapped the phone shut, turning to the officers. “Problem, officers?”

“Where’s your other partner?” Jaffe asked.

“Other partner? What, what other partner?” Dean lied horribly.

Jaffe motioned for Hein to check out the motel room. Dean shifted on his feet beside me. I kept my face cool and calm.

“So. Fake US Marshals. Fake credit cards. You got anything that’s real?” Jaffe challenged us.

“My boobs.” Dean decided to say.

“Mine are actually fake.” Was my joking addition. “Yeah. These are just used socks.”

Dean and I grinned.

Not long after, Hein was handcuffing us against the hood of the cop car.

_ ‘Worth it if it gave Sam time to escape.’ _

 

==DG==

 

Due to the small size of the department, Dean and I were being interrogated in the same room.

They had taken my Bag into evidence. It was making my skin crawl to have it so far away. 

Pierce finally stomped in the room some ten minutes after Dean and I were left here. He was carrying a storage box. Inside, I was rolling my eyes. I had done this all the time when I was a fed. 

“So you want to give us your real names?” Pierce asked.

“I told you, it’s Nugent. Ted Nugent.” Dean replied.

“Veronica Dunnstock.” I added with a faint smile. “Two n’s in Dunnstock.”

“I’m not sure the both of you realize just how much trouble you two’re in here.” Pierce warned.

“We talkin’, like, misdemeanor kind of trouble or, uh, squeal like a pig trouble?” Dean asked.

“You got the faces of ten missing persons taped to your wall.” Pierce brought up.  “Along with a whole lot of Satanic mumbo-jumbo. You are officially suspects.”

“Right, yeah, I get it. Because the first man was taken in ‘82. Before I was  _ born _ .”

“I know you’ve got partners. One of ‘em’s an older guy. Maybe he started the whole thing. So tell me. _ Dean.” _ He tossed John’s journal across the table. “This his?”

Dean stared down at it, otherwise not saying anything.

I was already mentally flipping the bird at the book. For no other reason than it was John’s. It was oddly relaxing.

The sheriff started turning pages in the journal. “I thought that might be your name. See, I leafed through this. What little I could make out-I mean, it’s nine kinds of crazy.” He turned to one of the last pages. “But I found this, too.”

In black sharpie, **‘Dean 35-111’** was written. Dean leaned forward enough to read the message.

“Now. Both of you’re stayin’ right here till you tell me exactly what the hell that means.” Pierce ordered.

 

==DG==

 

“I don’t know how many times I gotta tell you. It’s my high school locker combo.” Dean repeated for the hundredth time that night.

Pierce had been interrogating us on this for hours. His  _ face _ was getting on my nerves. “We gonna do this all night long?”

_ ‘Chuck I hope not. How much longer until Sam fakes the call?’ _

As if the writer had heard my thoughts, a deputy walked into the room. “We just got a 911, shots fired over at Whiteford Road.” He reported.

The sheriff eyed Dean and I. “Boy, you have to go to the bathroom?”

“No.”

“You little lady?” Pierce asked.

I sent him a look at the nickname. “No.”

“Good.” He handcuffed Dean to the table. He took the deputy’s handcuffs to handcuff me beside Dean.

I waited until he was gone to pull a paper clip from my jean pocket. “This reminds me of that case we had in Nevada last month. Didn’t you get me arrested for assault?” I started picking at my lock.

Dean snorted, shaking his head. “Nah. You were arrested because you shot that guy in the foot.”

“He was supposed to be a werewolf! How was I supposed to know he just had anger issues?”

 

==DG==

 

Once Dean and I made it out, we high tailed it to a phone booth. (Okay, bit of a lie. I had stolen my Bag back first. Wouldn’t be my first time taking something from lockup).

He started digging for change to call Sam when I pulled out my phone

“What’s happening Sam?” I spoke when he answered.

Dean huffed in annoyance, stuffing change back in his pockets.

“Fake 911 call? Nice touch.” I complimented. I put him on speaker, holding my phone up for Dean to hear. “And illegal. Shouldn’t that be a big no-no for lawyers?”

_ “You’re welcome.”  _ Sam’s grin was in his voice. 

“Listen, we gotta talk.” Dean walked over. He reached for my phone but I pulled it out of his reach.

The two of us fussed over who had control of the phone while Sam spoke.  _ “Tell me about it. So the husband was unfaithful. We are dealing with a woman in white. And she’s buried behind her old house, so that should have been Dad’s next stop.” _

“Sammy, would you shut up for a second?” Dean snapped. “Raven give me the phone!”

“It’s  _ my  _ phone! You should’ve grabbed your’s when we left!” I snapped back.

_ “I just can’t figure out why Dad hasn’t destroyed the corpse yet.”  _ Sam talked around us.

“Well, that’s what I’m trying to tell you!” Dean gave up trying to grab the phone. He shrugged uselessly, looking dejected. “He’s gone. Dad left Jericho.”

“What?” Sam and I asked. 

_ “How do you know?” _ Sam asked.

“I’ve got his journal.” Dean revealed.

“The numbers...” I pretended to realize. Dean nodded.

_ “He doesn’t go anywhere without that thing.”  _ Sam noted.

“Yeah, well, he did this time.”

_ “What’s it say?” _

“Ah, the same old ex-Marine crap, when he wants to let us know where he’s going.” Dean explained.

_ “Coordinates. _ ” Sam recalled.  _ “Where to?” _

“I’m not sure yet.” Dean admitted.

_ “I don’t understand. I mean, what could be so important that Dad would just skip out in the middle of a job? Dean, what the hell is going on?” _ Sam asked.

“It  _ is _ odd that a hunter would-”

The rest of my sentence was cut off by mechanical screeches. 

“What was that?” I asked sternly. 

“Sam? Sam!” Dean shouted. 

_ “...take me home.” _ A ghostly voice demanded just before the call cut off.

 

==DG==

 

We had stolen a car to get to the old Welch house.

Constance was screaming as we arrived. She pulled herself off Sam, quickly going static and evaporating.

Sam looked around in confusion.

Dean went to the trunk to pull out a gun with rock salt.

When Constance came back a second time, she found a way around his jacket. Sam screamed in pain. Dean quickly fired her full of salt.

“I’m taking you home.” Sam growled at Constance. He slammed his foot on the gas. He drove the Impala right into the house.

“Sam!” Dean called out.

“Sam! Still alive?” I called out, following Dean inside.

“Sam! You okay?” Dean asked. He made it to the passenger’s side of the Impala.

“I think...” Sam groaned.

Dean handed me the rock salt gun. “Can you move?”

“Yeah. Help me?” Sam asked with another pained groan.

Dean nodded. He reached his arm in, pulling Sam out. I kept a watch out for Constance.

She appeared in the room, family painting in her hands. Raising the shotgun, I waited for her to make any move or realize we were here.

Sam was out of the car soon enough. Constance glared at us with her cold black eyes. She threw the painting down on the floor, stepping aside.

As the piece of furniture moved towards us, I tried to fire the shotgun. It was out of ammo. _ ‘Dammit Dean too many shots to the ghostface!’ _ The old wooden furniture pushed me back against the Impala. Sam and Dean groaned beside me.

I tried pushing it off me. Constance was keeping it in place. It was bearing down on my legs. The lights flickered to my relief. Constance was losing concentration, looking up at the lights. I heard water pouring from the staircase.

“You’ve come home to us, Mommy.” Two  _ scary ass kids _ spoke at the same time.

The two kids appeared beside their mother. She didn’t have a chance to run away. Her kids pulled her in for a hug. Constance screamed out in pain as the family brightly vanished into the floor.

All they left behind was a puddle.

“So...this is where she drowned her kids.” I noted once we were free.

“That’s why she could never go home. She was too scared to face them.” Sam explained.

Dean grinned at his brother, proud. “You found her weak spot. Nice work, Sammy.” He slapped Sam’s still injured chest.

The younger brother laughed through the pain. “Yeah, I wish I could say the same for you. What were you thinking shooting Casper in the face, you freak?”

“Hey. Saved your ass.” Dean reminded. He elbowed my arm. “She did too. Put some salt on your jacket. Saved your from getting your chest ripped open.”

I shrugged. “A mixture I made with salt that keeps ghosts from grabbing you. I put it on your jacket when you were showering.” He went over to check on the Impala.

Sam lifted his eyebrows at me. “You made that?”

I nodded. “Has saved my ass-and your brother’s-more than enough times.”

“I’ll tell you another thing.” Sam and I turned back to him. Dean was standing at the driver’s side. He was glaring at his brother. “If you screwed up my car? I’ll kill you.”

Sam and I laughed.

“In his defense, Constance drove for most of the way.” I excused. “Sam knows this stuff. He’s a lawyer.”

Sam laughed again.

 

==DG==

 

Driving along the highway, our stuff all packed back up, hunt finished, I knew I should feel relaxed. It was hard to feel relaxed knowing someone was dying in a few hours and I was doing nothing against it except eating caramels.

Sam was searching for the coordinates with a ruler and a paper map. He was using a flashlight tucked under his chin, and a pen. “Okay, here’s where Dad went.” Sam reported. “It’s called Blackwater Ridge, Colorado.”

“Sounds charming. How far?” Dean asked.

“About six hundred miles.” Sam admitted. He was already seeing the problem with it.

His brother didn’t. “Hey, if we shag ass we could make it by morning.”

“Dean, I, um...” Sam opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the right words for I’m abandoning you for my own selfish wants.

Dean stared at him, shocked. “You’re not going.”

“Your interview’s that important, huh?” I asked.

“The interview’s in like, ten hours. I gotta be there.” The younger excused.

Though Dean didn’t say, both Sam and I felt his disappointment at the decision. “Yeah. Yeah, whatever. We’ll take you home.”

He drove on.

For the rest of the drive, he didn’t look at Sam even for a glance.

 

==DG==

 

Dean pulled up in front of the apartment a few hours later. It had been an uncomfortably silent ride.

“Call me if you find him?” Sam asked after he climbed out of the car.

Dean only nodded.

“And maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?” Sam offered.

“Yeah, all right.” But they both knew the chances of that were slim.

Except me.

“Sam?” Dean called out. Sam turned around. “You know, we made a hell of a team back there.”

Sam sucked in his lips. “Yeah.”

“It was nice meeting you.” I admitted to him. “Wish it was under better circumstances.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. Nice meeting you too.”

Dean drove off. I watched as Sam’s shoulders slumped. Then, he made the climb back to his apartment.

We’d barely left the block before we saw the fire.

Even without turning around I knew it was too late. Jess was gone.

 

==DG==

 

I always hated it when the police were gathered around a building like this. It felt like a neon sign saying that I had let that person die.

They were always right.

Sam was glaring at the building as if the bricks and mortar themselves had done this to him.

Dean and I, we were being supportive. We didn’t even have to ask Sam if he wanted to get in the car. He was already throwing his backpack in the passenger seat.

“We got work to do.” He slammed the trunk shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit this took awhile. I finally cracked down on writing this thanks for a friend, SkadiLokison, and some writing tips online. My summer has been intense. Lucky for me college starts in a week!
> 
> We’ve been through a lot. Comic!Con happened. The Tweet happened (it about near killed my friend who is a die-hard Padalecki fan) and Twitter/tumblr exploded. I binged watched Star Trek because it’s a gorgeous work of art (yes I ship McKock/McSpirk. OT3 for life!)
> 
> Also, Cas, gets your feathery ass back to life or I will drag Chuck back here and MAKE HIM bring you back AGAIN!
> 
> Happy birthday to me! This is my present to myself: finished/published chapters!


	4. Wendigo

Though I had only seen John Winchester on TV, I could see him in the post-Sam.

He was  _ not _ doing well. He had barely slept. If he ever did, he woke up muttering about fire. It seemed to set him back on the chase fresh as the night it happened. Most waking hours were spent getting any information on Azazel. It was awful to seem him falling apart. 

Such as the morning a week after the funeral. He had barely slept the drive over. There was a silent agreement to not disturb Sam whenever he managed to close his eyes. Dean drove on smooth roads, when he could. If there was a plot hole he drove around it. I kept myself in the backseat, quiet as a church mouse. The map was given to me, so Sam didn’t need to be the GPS. Any conversation was whispered.

Still, his nightmares woke him up. Our best efforts did nothing against Sam’s own mind.

Sam shot up. There was a word caught in his throat, coming out as a pained choked gasp. He blinked hard, rubbing at his eyes. He’d slept for an hour that time.

“Sam?” I quietly asked. 

He let out a quick huff. “Yeah?” 

“Are you okay?”

Sam glanced away, pretending he had no idea what could be wrong. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Another nightmare?” Dean noted, giving Sam a meaningful look.

Sam didn’t say  _ ‘no’ _ .

Dean and I exchanged a short look.

“You wanna drive for a while?” Dean offered, half awkward.

Sam stared at his brother, surprised. “Dean, your whole life you never once asked me that.” He stated.

“Just thought you might want to.” Dean huffed. “Never mind.”

Sam looked between Dean and I. “Look, guys, you’re worried about me. I get it, and thank you, but I’m perfectly okay.” 

“Mm-hm.”

“Gotcha.”

Sam wisely did not believe us.

“Alright, where are we?” He asked, reaching for the dashboard only to find the map was in my hands.

“We are just outside of Grand Junction.” I reported gleefully. I showed off the giant red X Dean had left.

He shook his head at me. When he tried to take the map, I pulled it away. “You know what guys? Maybe we shouldn’t have left Stanford so soon.”

I rolled my eyes, falling back in my seat.

“Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica-” Dean explained.

“We gotta find Dad first.” Sam agreed.

“Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after twenty years, it’s no coincidence.”  Dean went on. “Dad will have answers. He’ll know what to do.”

I moved forward, holding the map up. 

“It’s weird, man. These coordinates he left you.This Blackwater Ridge...” I read off.

“What about it?” Dean asked.

“There’s nothing there. It’s just woods.” I pointed at the patch of green on the map. “Why is your father sending us to the middle of nowhere?”

Neither brother answered.

 

==DG==

 

We drove to the ranger’s station.

Once inside, Sam and I looked down at the map. Dean was staring at the decorations on the walls. 

“So Blackwater Ridge  _ is _ pretty remote.” Sam stated. “It’s cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place.”

“Dudes, check out the size of this freaking bear.” Dean motioned to a photo he was standing in front of.

I walked up next to him. Seeing the bear, I shrugged. “Meh. Fought bigger.”

Dean scoffed. “You did  _ not _ .”

“Did  _ too _ and it could’ve gotten that bear stuck between it’s  _ teeth _ .” I bragged. _ ‘The Red Death wasn’t anything to joke about. That scaly white bitch nearly took my arm!’ _

Sam stood at my other side. He was looking at Dean and I with what I think is a step below the Bitch-Face  TM . “And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It’s no nature hike, that’s for sure.”

“You kids aren’t planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?” Wilkinson asked, startling the boys.

“Oh, no, sir, we’re environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper.” Sam lied easily.

Dean caught on, grinning. “Recycle, man.”

“Respect nature.” I held up a peace sign.

The sheriff didn’t miss a beat. “Bull.”

I didn’t blink.

“You’re friends with that Haley girl, right?” Wilkinson asked.

“Okay  _ yes. _ ” I stepped up, putting on my best desperate friend voice. “But-Ranger Wilkinson, Haley’s just worried.”

“Well I will tell you exactly what we told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn’t be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth, so it’s not exactly a missing persons now, is it?” Wilkinson challenged.

“And I get that, it’s just that Haley can’t.” I explained, sounding exasperated.

“You tell that girl to quit worrying, I’m sure her brother’s just fine.” Wilkinson explained gruffly.

“We will. Well that Haley girl’s quite a pistol, huh?” Dean threw in.

Wilkinson snorted. “That is putting it mildly.”

“You know what, maybe it would help if you gave us a copy of his backcountry permit. That way she’d see her brother’s return date, and stop worrying. I’m sure she’d understand then.”

Wilkinson seemed to think on it.

 

==DG==

 

Dean held the permit in his hands. He was laughing. “That, Raven, was awesome.”

I smiled proudly at the attention, straightening out my jacket like a hero. “Thanks, Dean. I just pretend to care better than you.”

He laughed again.

“What, are you two cruising for a hookup or something?” Sam asked.

“What do you mean?” Dean asked.

_ ‘Not to mention I’m offended he thinks I’ll screw any woman just because she’s a woman.’ _

We walked towards our seats. 

“The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let’s just go find Dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?” Sam asked snappily.

“I don’t know, maybe we should know what we’re walking into before we actually walk into it?” Dean countered.

I bit my lip, trying to keep myself from saying anything.

“What?” Sam asked, catching my look.

“Nothing.” I shrugged, pushing my hands in my jacket pockets. “I just thought Dean was the one who was  _ ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ _ .”

Sam narrowed his eyes at me. “He is. But now it’s me.” He shrunk down (for a man as tall as him, I’m surprised he didn’t bang his head against the Impala) to climb in the passenger seat.

His brother snorted. “Really?” He climbed into the driver’s seat.

I rolled my eyes.  _ “Winchesters.” _ Then I climbed down in the back seat.

 

==DG==

 

The three of us stood at Haley’s house. Dean knocked on the door. Haley answered.

_ ‘It’s too bad I like blondes. She’s actually pretty cute. Oh well, I can still appreciate the art without buying it.’ _

“You must be Haley Collins. I’m Dean, this is Sam, that’s Raven, we’re, ah, we’re rangers with the Park Service.” Dean explained. “Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. He wanted us to ask a few questions about your brother, Tommy.”

Haley looked us over. “Lemme see some ID.”

Dean pulled his out, pressing it against the screen. My  _ ‘Jordan Ashford’ _ was burning a hole in my pocket. Haley stared at Dean’s a moment, before opening the door.

“Come on in.”

Dean was smiling. “Thanks.”

“That yours?” Haley gestures over to the Impala.

Dean grinned, proud of his car. “Yeah.”

“Nice car.” Haley turned to go inside, not before giving Dean a smile.

Dean turned back to us when she wasn’t looking.  _ ‘Oh my god.’ _ He mouthed.

I winked.  _ ‘All your’s.’ _ I mouthed back.

Sam was wishing flames would come from the sky to smight Dean and I so that maybe he could get some shit done.

 

==DG==

 

“So if Tommy’s not due back for a while, how do you know something’s wrong?” Sam asked.

Haley was setting the table for dinner. Her brother was on his laptop, seemingly tuning us out. “He checks in every day by cell. He emails, photos, stupid little videos-we haven’t heard anything in over three days now.”

“Have you thought that maybe he doesn’t get cell reception?” I asked.

”He’s got a satellite phone, too.” Haley replied.

“Could it be he’s just having fun and forgot to check in?” Dean asked. 

“He wouldn’t do that.” Ben Collins insisted.

There was brief eye contact between Dean and Ben. The younger boy looked back to his laptop.

Haley brought out more food. “Our parents are gone. It’s just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other.” She explained for her brother.

“Do you mind showing me the pictures Tommy sent you?” I asked.

Haley nodded. “Of course. Yeah.”

She took a minute to get her laptop out. It barely felt like any time before she had the photos up. Good thing too, I think Dean was drooling staring at the food.

“That’s Tommy.” She pointed to the smiling man in the tent. She showed us some more photos before reaching the video message.

_ “Hey Haley, day six, we’re still out near Blackwater Ridge. We’re fine, keeping safe, so don’t worry, okay? Talk to you tomorrow.” _

A shadow flicked past the tent. I tensed only slightly, standing up straighter. Sam spots the shadow flicking past. Dean “Well, we’ll find your brother. We’re heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing.”

“Then maybe I’ll see you there.” Dean and Sam raised their eyebrows at her. I grinned, knowingly. Haley just stared the boys down. “Look, I can’t sit around here anymore. So I hired a guide. I’m heading out in the morning, and I’m gonna find Tommy myself.”

“I think I know how you feel.” Dean mused.

I nodded in agreement. 

The two elder siblings had a silent exchange, both standing protectively behind their younger brothers.

“Hey, do you mind forwarding these to me?” Sam asked, unknowingly cutting off Dean and Haley’s connection.

Haley agreed.

 

==DG==

 

Dean took us to a bar next. Sam got right on with research.

“So, Blackwater Ridge doesn’t get a lot of traffic. Local campers, mostly. But still, this past April, two hikers went missing out there. They were never found.” He opened his dad’s journal. 

“Any before that?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, in 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack.” Sam handed Dean the newspaper articles.

I sat across from them, eating peanuts.

“And again in 1959 and again before that in 1936.” Sam reported.

“So every twenty-three years, this thing comes up into the woods looking for a snack, then goes to sleep?” _ ‘If I didn’t know it was a wendigo, I’d start looking for clowns in the sewer.’ _

“Exactly.” Sam pulled up the video message. “Okay. Watch this. Here’s a clincher. I downloaded that guy Tommy’s video to the laptop. Check this out.”

He pauses at a specific part in the message. He clicks ahead three times, showing off the shadow moving across the tent in the background.

“Play it back.”

Sam does so.

“That’s three frames. That’s a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move.” Sam noted.

Dean slapped his brother’s arm. Sam looked at him in confusion. “Told you something weird was going on.”

Sam wasn’t as amused. It made me snort. “Yeah.” He clapped his laptop shut, putting it away in his backpack. “I got one more thing.” He gave me the newspaper article. I gave it a brief glance before passing it to Dean. “In ‘fifty-nine one camper survived this supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive.”

“Is there a name?”

I pointed it out for him.

 

==DG==

 

Shaw lived a few minutes away.

He lived in this ratty old house, it smelled as awful as you’d think. He’d welcomed us into his home, so I said nothing to his face. 

“Look, rangers, I don’t know why you’re asking me about this. It’s public record.” Shaw pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. “I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a-”

“Grizzly? That’s what attacked them?” Sam interrupted.

Shaw nodded.

“The other people that went missing that year, those bear attacks too?” Dean asked. Shaw was silent. “What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing?” Again, Shaw was silent. “We knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it.” Dean suggested.

Shaw pulled his cig out of his mouth. “I seriously doubt that. Anyways, I don’t see what difference it would make.” Shaw sits down. Shaw “You wouldn’t believe me. Nobody ever did.”

I set myself across from him. “Mr Shaw, what did you see?” I asked, using all the skills I had as an FBI agent.

Shaw seemed to fight it. He glanced at my eyes, pausing. Something in there must have shown him my belief. “Nothing.” He began. Behind me, I heard Sam move forward. “It moved too fast to see.” Sam stopped, my guess he was surprised. “It hid too well. I heard it, though. A roar. Like...no man or animal I ever heard.”

“It came at night?” I asked. Shaw nodded, the memories playing behind his eyes. “Found you where you slept?”

Shaw nodded again. “It got inside our cabin. I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn’t smash a window or break the door. It unlocked it. Do you know of a bear that could do something like that? I didn’t even wake up till I heard my parents screaming.”

“It killed them?” My voice was kind, understanding, insistent.

“Dragged them off into the night.” He seemed to stare off. I swear I could see the memory of that night, see his own fear as he heard his parents’ screams then all the blood. “Why it left me alive...been asking myself that ever since.” He reached up for his collar. “Did leave me this, though.”

He showed off three long scars.

Some of my own scars ached in sympathy.

“There’s something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon.” Shaw finished.

_ ‘Knowing Azazel, I wouldn’t put it past him.’ _

 

==DG==

 

“Spirits and demons don’t have to unlock doors.” Dean reasoned as we went back into our motel room. “If they want inside, they just go through the walls.”

_ ‘Not the polite ones. Thank you, Crowley...did I just thank a demon? Dammit that’s what he gets for being nice!’ _

“So it’s probably something else, something corporeal.” Sam continued.

“Corporeal? Excuse me, professor.” Dean teased.

“Hey it’s not  _ that _ complicated a word.” I defended, but I was grinning.

Sam rolled his eyes all the same. “Shut up. So what do you think?”

“The claws, the speed that it moves...could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog.” Dean thought out loud.

“Mm, no. None of these attacks are canine in nature. There’s a reason they keep saying  _ ‘bear attack’ _ and not  _ ‘wolf’ _ .” I explained. “There is  _ something _ this reminds me of, but my mind just isn’t connecting it.”

“Whatever we’re talking about, we’re talking about a creature, and it’s  _ corporeal _ .” Dean admitted. “Which means we can kill it.”

 

==DG==

 

Dean started packing guns in the duffel bag. The other duffel bag I packed with matchboxes, and flare guns. You can find  _ a lot  _ of weird stuff at a motel gift shop.

As we packed, Sam arrived. “We  _ cannot _ let that Haley girl go out there.” He spoke with some long suffering tone.

I scoffed. “Good luck telling her that. Her brother is missing, and the rangers won’t listen to her. She’s not exactly going to stop because we tell her too.”

“We still need to keep her out of this.” San argued.

“Oh yeah? What are we gonna tell her? That she can’t go into the woods because of a big scary monster?” Dean asked, sarcastically.

“Yeah.” Sam answered, not sarcastically.

Dean stared at Sam as if the boy had gone insane. It reminded me of those episodes in old cartoons, when a weird science experimented would switch the brains of two characters so they both had to be each other. Except here, Dean seemed to be the only brother that noticed. Then again, as much as Dean denied it, he was always more of a lover than a fighter.

“Her brother’s missing, Sam. She’s not gonna just sit this out. Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator friend.” Dean lifted up the packed duffel bag.

“Finding Dad’s not enough?” The younger brother honest to Chuck  _ whined.  _ He slammed the trunk shut with such force I backed away in case of Dean Baby Rage. “Now we gotta babysit too?”

Dean  _ stared _ again at his brother. I looked on, not matching up this Sam with the one I had net last week. 

Sam gave us humoring looks. “What?”

_ ‘You sound like John Winchester.’ _ I realized. The John that hated bringing kids on a hunt, the John that always told Dean to  _ ‘man up’  _ and keep his brother out of danger.

Dean shrugged. “Nothing.” He threw the bag at Sam.

Sam caught it, glaring at Dean as he walked to the driver’s seat. When Sam went to glare at me, I lifted my hands up.

“I’m not getting involved in whatever this is.” I went towards the back seat, keeping my bag close.

 

==DG==

 

_ ‘Oh look. Another glorious morning.’ _ I glared at the bright sun overhead.  _ ‘Makes me sick.’ _

Dean pulled up to the small group. I could see Haley, Ben, and the man I recognized as Roy.

As we moved from the motel to the woods, I changed into more hiking appropriate clothes. I had on khaki shorts, bug spray, a tan tank top, a flannel jacket, and hiking boots.

It had been funny to Dean sneak glances in the mirror, then pretend he wasn’t sneaking glances. Every time I caught him, I whacked the back of his head.

Hopping out of the car, I watched Dean swagger up to the search party. 

“You guys got room for three more?” He asked with his usual  _ ‘grown five-year-old _ ’ attitude.

“Wait, you want to come with us?” Haley asked. 

“Who are these people?” Roy asked Haley.

Haley answered over her shoulder. “Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for the search and rescue.”

”You’re rangers?” Roy looked us all over.

“That’s right.” Dean grinned.

“And you’re hiking out in biker boots and jeans?” Haley asked, skeptical.

“Well, sweetheart, I don’t do shorts.” Dean stated, walking up to where Sam was.

“They’re new.” I excused, shrugging at Haley. This didn’t help her opinion of us.

“What, you think this is funny? It’s dangerous back country out there. Her brother might be hurt.” Roy snapped at Dean and I.

“Believe me, I know how dangerous this could get.” Dean argued. “We just wanna help her find her brother, that’s all.” He went up to Sam. 

Giving a last look to the Collins clan, I caught up with the Winchesters.

 

==DG==

 

We’d been hiking for upwards of three hours, probably closer to four now that I think about it. We hadn’t gotten close to the cave, then again I know  _ nothing _ about hiking so maybe we were close.

I  _ do _ know that it was cold, with it being early November and the mountains. It felt  _ great _ , I’d always loved the cold.

“Roy, you said you did a little hunting.” Dean asked.

“Yeah, more than a little.” Roy answered. He had been guiding us. The Collins could probably do this themselves, if they camped often enough.

“Uh-huh. What kind of furry critters do you hunt?” Dean asked.

“Mostly buck, sometimes bear.” Roy was more focused on the hike than on Dean’s stupid questions. 

“Tell me, uh, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?” Dean teased.

Before he could take another step, Roy pulled him back. “Whatcha doing, Roy?” Dean asked.

Roy tossed a stick down on the bear trap. It clapped shut, right where Dean’s foot had almost stepped. “You should watch where you’re stepping. Ranger.” He went back on.

The older Winchester turned back to us. “It’s a bear trap.”

Behind me, I felt Sam’s bitch face.

“You didn’t pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You’re not rangers.” Haley listed. She pulled Dean back. “So who the hell are you?”

Sam and I paused, looking at Dean asking if he needed backup. Dean nodded for us to go forward.

I walked alongside Sam.

For awhile, we just walked. At one point I felt it was a good idea to start a conversation. “So...Sam, I was wondering-”

“You don’t have to do Dean’s dirty work.” Sam interrupted. He pulled the duffle bag tighter on his back. “I’m not some helpless kid.”

I blinked at him in surprise. “Okay,  _ whoa _ . That is  _ not _ what I’m doing. I just wanted to talk about what we’re hunting.” My eyes gave him a once over. “You don’t have to jump down my throat.”

Sam sighed. He reached up, punching the bridge of his nose. “Yeah well I don’t walk to talk. About anything. I just want to get this over with.”

“Right.” Sucking my lips, I slowly went along with his BS. “I get it. Because when my sister died, I couldn’t talk to  _ anyone _ .” Sam groaned silently. “Not unless  _ I _ started the conversation. Even that, it had to last a minute or else the other person was in danger of being punched.”

“Yeah well I bet  _ you _ didn’t have to chase the thing that killed her.” Sam ranted.

“I did.” I stated, starting to feel detached. “Then I ripped his heart out.”

“So you understand why this is so important! We shouldn’t be in the woods, we should be looking for Dad then going after what killed Jess!” Sam ranted. 

“Sam I  _ regret _ what I did to him.” I admitted, hand on my heart. “Oh he needed to be stopped, as awful as he was, but I shouldn’t have fought so hard to kill him-”

This made Sam cut me off with a disbelieving snort. “You know what, Raven? I didn’t ask you.” He marched further ahead.

Sighing at my own stupidity at bringing it up, I hung my head in defeat.

Branches crunched behind me. Looking back, I saw Dean there with a confused look on  his face. he came up to my side. He nodded towards his brother. “What’s got his panties in a twist?”

Letting out another puff of air, I pulled my bag higher up on my shoulder. “Your dad better be in town. I don’t think your brother can take this for much longer.”

Dean’s face tightened in held back concern for his brother. Candy apple eyes looked ahead, like looking at Sam would make a solution clear.

 

==DG==

 

It was another cold two hours of walking before we made it to the Ridge.

“This is it. Blackwater Ridge.” Roy informed.

“What coordinates are we at?” Sam asked.

Roy checked the GPS. “Thirty-five and minus one-eleven.”

I stood up beside Sam, Dean taking his other side. “You hear that?” Dean asked.

“Yeah.” I agreed. “Nothing.”

“Not even crickets.” Sam commented.

“I’m gonna go take a look around.” Roy decided.

The three of us turned to him. “You shouldn’t go off by yourself.” Sam suggested, or maybe warned?

“That’s sweet. Don’t worry about me.” Roy scoffed at us. He showed off his gun, pushing between the boys to take the lead.

_ ‘Rude bastard.’ _ Was my first thought.  _ ‘You’re lucky I don’t want you to die.’ _

Dean turned to the Collins’. “All right, everybody stays together. Let’s go.”

 

==DG==

 

Roy led us to the campsite. “Haley! Over here!” He shouted.

Haley had been looking over a giant rock, but she ran towards Roy’s voice. When we caught up with her, it was too a horrific sight.

“Oh my God.” Haley gasped.

The campsite reminded me of crime scenes I had seen over the years. The tent was torn to shreds. Some parts of it were soaked in blood. There wasn’t any dead bodies, though based on the amount of blood they didn’t have long.

“Looks like a grizzly.” Roy noted. 

“Tommy?” The female Collins started shouting. “Tommy!”

While Sam went to calm Haley, I followed the wendigo’s trail. There was some heavy dirt prints that _ could _ be mistaken for bear prints..

“See that?” Dean pointed at a steak of kicked up dirt.

“Yeah.” I nodded, pointing at my streak. “And that.”

“Sam!” Dean called back.

Sam came over.

“The bodies were dragged from the campsite.” Dean pointed at a spot on the ground. “But here, the tracks just vanish. That’s weird.” Dean huffed. “Raven was right, it’s no skinwalker or black dog.”

“Generally.” I walked back to the campsite, seeing Haley crying over Tom’s phone. “Hey.” She looked up at me. “Have some faith. There’s a chance he’s still love.”

Her eyes were filling with angry tears now.

The wendigo started screaming in the woods. “Help! Help!”

Everyone stood up on their feet.  _ Roy _ foolishly lead them after it. I followed, if only because I didn’t want to be left alone with the wendigo. 

When we made it to it’s clearing, it was empty. 

“It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn’t it?” Haley asked us.

There was another beat of silence. Then Sam got a clue. “Everybody back to camp.”

Our group ran back. All of the supplies the others left behind were gone. I held mine tighter to my back. 

Haley gasped in dismay. “Our packs!”

Roy crouched down near where our packs  _ had _ been. “So much for my GPS and my satellite phone.”

“What the hell is going on?” Haley asked.

“It’s smart. It wants to cut us off so we can’t call for help.” Sam kept trying to find the answer, pointing to the obvious answer left.

“You mean someone, some nutjob out there just stole all our gear.” Roy falsely corrected.

Sam couldn’t stand the stupidity at camp. He went to Dean, then myself. 

“I need to speak with you two. In private.” He stormed away from camp. 

_ ‘Well not that strong, but anything looks like storming out when you’re that tall.’ _

We walked far enough from camp that we could hear anything, but not so they could hear us.

“Let me see Dad’s journal.” Sam demanded.

Dean did so.

Sam rifled through the pages before finding the one he wanted. “Alright, check that out.” He showed off the poorly drawn wendigo.

“Oh come on, wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or, or northern Michigan.” Dean argued. “I’ve never even heard of one this far west.”

“Dean, this is the only thing that makes sense.” I tried to convince. “The claws, the unlocking of doors, we just heard it mimic a human voice!”

The older brother scoffed. “Great.” He pulled out his pistol. “Well then this is useless.”

Sam stormed back off to camp. “We gotta get these people to safety.”

I pulled the matches and lighters from my bag. Dean stared at me in surprise. “Why do you have those?” He asked.

“I didn’t think either of you could start a campfire.” Was my sort of honest answer. Dean gave me a look. I leaned in so Sam wouldn’t hear. “Or that neither of you would want to.” He understood.

Dean got it.

Both of us went back to camp. Sam was giving a  _ completely idiotic _ speech.

“All right, listen up, it’s time to go. Things have gotten...more complicated.” Sam ordered.

“What?” Haley gawked.

“Kid, don’t worry. Whatever’s out there, I think I can handle it.” Roy assured.

“It’s not me I’m worried about. If you shoot this thing, you’re just gonna make it mad. We have to leave. Now.” Sam ordered, more stern.

“One, you’re talking nonsense. Two, you’re in no position to give anybody orders.” Roy snapped.

“Relax.” Dean tried to placate the rising tensions.

“We never should have let you come out here in the first place, all right? I’m trying to protect you.” Sam snapped. 

Roy stepped up into Sam’s face. “You protect me? I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you goodnight.”

Oh that set him off. “Yeah? It’s a damn near perfect hunter. It’s smarter than you, and it’s gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry ass out of here.”

_ ‘Dear Chuck. If Sam could hear himself right now, he’d call himself a bitch.’ _

The non-supernatural laughed mockingly. “You know you’re crazy, right?”

“Yeah? You ever hunt a wen-”

Sam was pushed back by Dean. “Roy!” Haley chided. Her brother seemed to snap out of whatever music haze he had been in for most of the hike up here. 

“Chill out.” Dean ordered Sam. The young ex Stanford student huffed, still gearing for a fight.

“Stop. Stop it. Everybody just stop!” Haley shouted. “Look. Tommy might still be alive. And I’m not leaving here without him.”

I watched Dean accept that they couldn’t turn back. Sam, on the other hand, was probably thinking of ways to break away from the camp to keep the civilians out of it.

Dean decided to just go for broke. “It’s getting late. This thing is a good hunter in the day, but an unbelievable hunter at night.” He explained. “We’ll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves.”

“How?” Haley asked. 

 

==DG==

 

The sun had set hours ago. There was a campfire in the middle of our camp.

I had just finished carving a protective Anasazi symbol when Ben came up behind me.

“What does that do?” Ben asked, kneeling down to get a better look.

“It’s an Anasazi symbol of protection.” I explained, pointing at a view trees. “I carved them in some trees too, just in case.”

Ben nodded though I’m sure he still had no idea. “And this will keep that...thing...from getting us? Like it got Tommy?”

I paused for a second, adjusting myself. Crouching wasn’t an easy pose to keep for long. “Hey, don’t lose hope. Your brother is alive, I need you to believe that.”

The youngest Collins nodded.

Off to the side, Dean was teaching the same thing to Haley.

This left Sam alone with Roy. The guide snickered at us. I could see rage about to go off in Sam’s eyes.

Dean saw it too. “Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy.” He walked over towards Sam. I stayed where I was, close enough to hear what they were saying. “You wanna tell me what’s going on in that freaky head of yours?”

Sam mentally groaned. “Dean-”

“No, you’re not fine. You’re like a powder keg, man, it’s not like you.” Dean laughed, derisively. “I’m supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?”

There was a heavy pause as I waited for Sam’s answer. When it came, it was like he didn’t want it to be in his mouth. The words were hollow, empty except for that slow heating anger behind them.

”Dad’s not here.” He stared off into the dark woods, fists clenching and unclenching. “I mean, that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” His brother agreed, his tone nonchalant as if they had missed a turn instead of their father. “Tell you the truth, I don’t think Dad’s ever been to Lost Creek.”

“Then let’s get these people back to town and let’s hit the road. Go find Dad. I mean, why are we still even here?”

_ ‘Sam.’ _ I was disgusted.  _ ‘Can you hear yourself? Leave a family broken? Leave two men to die? Who...who am I  _ looking at _ right now?’ _

“This is why.” Dean showed Sam the journal. “This book. This is Dad’s single most valuable possession-everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he’s passed it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off.” I leaned in more, keeping myself from being known. “You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.”

“That makes no sense. Why doesn’t he just call us?” Sam argued. “Why doesn’t he tell us what he wants, tell us where he is?”

“I dunno. But the way I see it, Dad’s giving us a job to do, and I intend to do it.” Dean stated, making me smile.  _ That _ was the Dean I knew. I stood up, watching Haley and Ben sit in front of the fire.

”Dean...no. I gotta find Dad. I gotta find Jessica’s killer.” Sam insisted. “It’s the only thing I can think about.”

“Okay, all right, Sam, we’ll find them, I promise. Listen to me.” Sam looked up at Dean. “You’ve gotta prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take a while, and all that anger, you can’t keep it burning over the long haul. It’s gonna kill you. You gotta have patience, man.”

His brother shook his head, sadness heavy on his shoulders. “How do you do it? How does  _ Dad _ do it?”

“Well for one, them.” Dean looked over to Haley and Ben. I smirked at him, adding a nod. “I mean, I figure our family’s so screwed to hell, maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little bit more bearable. I’ll tell you what else helps. Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possibly can.”

Sam finally smiled.

 

==DG==

 

Then the wendigo called for help again.

Reaching in my bag, I pulled out the flare gun. Dean came back from his chick-flick love fest, pulling out his gun. 

“Help!” The wendigo screamed again.

“He’s trying to draw us out. Just stay cool, stay put.” Dean advised.

“Inside the magic circle?” Roy snarked.

“Help! Help me!” The wendigo cried out. It cut itself off with a hideous sounding growl. 

“Okay, that’s no grizzly.” Roy admitted. He aimed his rifle in the direction of the growling.

“That’s only gonna make it angry, Roy.” I warned.

He cocked it. 

Behind me, I heard Haley assuring Ben. “It’s okay. You’ll be alright, I promise.”

The bushes moved again. 

“It’s here.” Sam told Dean and I.

I tried to aim at it with the flare gun. The problem was, if I missed then the trees around us could go up in flames. So there was  _ one shot _ .

“Got it!” I fired the pistol the same time Roy fired.

“I hit it!” He shouted.

We both had.

The wendigo shrieked in pain. It was hard to see it in the dark but I saw the flames on it. I pulled out another flare gun.

Roy ran out to see his hunt. I chased after him. 

“Roy, Raven, no! Roy!” Dean shouted. “Don’t move.”

I chased after Roy. 

“It’s over here! It’s in the tree!” The wendigo called out.

I raised the flare gun. As the wendigo reached down, I fired at its arm.

It screeched again. It pulled away from us, running off into the night. 

“Raven!” Dean shouted. He and Sam entered the clearing, only to stop after seeing We were fine.

Roy stared up at the tree, shocked. I looked down to him. “We told you to stay in the magic circle.” I threw the flare gun at him.

He failed to catch it. 

I stormed off back to camp.

 

==DG==

 

The sun was up now. 

No one had slept after the wendigo attacked.

Especially not Roy, the man that had nearly died last night. He was being more mature about the whole thing.

“I don’t...I mean, these types of things, they aren’t supposed to be real.” Haley muttered.

“I wish I could tell you different.” Dean shrugged.

“How do we know it’s not out there watching us?” Haley asked.

“We don’t. But we’re safe for now.” Dean stated.

“How do you know about this stuff?” Haley asked.

Dean paused. “Kind of runs in the family.” He half joked.

“Hey.” Sam stepped up towards the middle of camp. “So we’ve got half a chance in the daylight. And I for one want to kill this evil son of a bitch.”

“Well, hell, you know I’m in.” Dean stated.

“Same here.” I nodded.

Sam smirked at us. He pulled out the wendigo page in the journal. He showed it to the Collins’ and Roy. “ _ ‘Wendigo’  _ is a Cree Indian word. It means  _ ‘evil that devours’ _ .” He explained.

“They’re hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man.” Dean went on. “Sometimes an Indian, or other times a frontiersman or a miner or hunter.”

“How’s a man turn into one of those things?” Roy asked, looking horrified at the question and disgusted at the idea of the answer.

“It’s always the same story.” I began. “During some harsh winter a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp.”

“Like the Donner Party.” Ben mused.

I didn’t really know what to say to that, so I just smirked at Ben.

“Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities.” Sam explained. “Speed, strength, immortality.”

“If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less than human thing. You’re always hungry.” Dean went on.

“So if that’s true, how can Tommy still be alive?” Haley asked, voice shaking at the end.

“You’re not gonna like it.” Dean warned.

“Tell me.” Haley insisted.

“More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it’s awake it keeps its victims alive. It, uh, it stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants.” Dean explained. “If your brother’s alive, it’s keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. We gotta track it back there.”

Haley was covering her dismay really well.

“And then how do we stop it?” Roy asked.

“Well, guns are useless, so are knives. Basically-” Dean held up lighter fluid, a beer bottle, and a white cloth. “We gotta torch the sucker.” He nodded at me. “You still got the flare guns?”

“Yeah. And I’ve got some extra ammo in my bag.” I tossed one gun to Dean. He caught it.

He grinned at the gun. “Awesome.”

 

==DG==

 

Roy let Dean lead. Or at least that’s what Roy said as Dean marched off into the woods. I let him keep his pride, though he followed behind me. I followed behind Haley.

We’d been tracking it for hours. It was afternoon before things got interesting.

Sam had walked ahead, searching for the tracks. “Dean, Raven.” Sam called out.

Dean and I ran ahead to him.

“What is it?” Dean asked.

“He found tracks.” I mused, looking up at the bloody claw marks.

“You know, I was thinking, those claw prints, so clear and distinct. They were almost too easy to follow.” Sam remarked.

I let out a huff.

The wendigo rushed by some bushes. The group jumped back. I stood in place, looking up at clouds wondering if Chuck thought this was funny or not.

“Okay, run, run, run, run, go, go, go!” Dean ordered. He started pushing the group on, breaking me out of my anti-Chuck thoughts.

The group split apart in all the chaos of running away. Dean and Sam with Ben, myself with Haley and Roy. Oh yeah that’s not gonna end in disaster.

I lead the two of them through the woods. The wendigo was jumping from tree to tree overhead.

Then it jumped down. It snarled I’m out faces.

Roy, Haley and I froze.

It grabbed me, then tossed me over it’s back.

Haley screamed.

It picked Roy up with it’s unburnt hand. It flicked it’s wrist, snapping Roy’s neck with an awful crunch. Once that was handled, it grabbed Haley

We were gone before the Winchesters arrived.

 

==DG==

 

The sweet serenade of a moose and squirrel brought me back to conscious.

_ ‘And I’m gonna kill ‘um for it _ .’ I thought, struggling against the wire on my wrists. _ ‘As soon as I get out of these things!’ _

The memories of what happened before I woke up came back. The wendigo, Roy dying, Haley screaming- _ Haley! _

“Hey, you okay?” Dean asked, checking my neck for a pulse.

_ ‘Holy fuck shit no.’  _ I winced in pain. “Think so.” My focus moved over to the Collins family.

“Haley, Haley, wake up, wake up!” Ben pleaded.

Sam pulled out a blade, quickly using it to cut the wire. I fell on the floor in a heap. A grunt of pain burst up from my throat. The wendigo had left cuts on my body that didn’t appreciate being rubbed in dirt.

The boys lifted me up. They walked me over to a much nicer path of dirt. 

“You sure you’re all right?” Sam asked, lowering me to the ground. 

“Fine. Where is that son of a bitch?” I seethed.

“He’s gone for now.” Dean answered, sounding ready to tear it apart.

“Tommy...” Haley’s voice echoed. Looking over at it, I saw Haley touch her brother’s cheek.

The man jerked awake.

“Cut him down!” Haley ordered the Winchester’s.

Sam did so. Dean stayed by me, checking the stolen bags of supplies near me. 

I chuckled when he pulled out the flare guns.

“Check it out.” Dean called out to his brother. Sam turned to see Dean and I holding flares.

“More flare guns. Perfect.” Sam helped keep Tommy on his feet.

So six of us were making our way out. Dean lead the group, flare gun in hand. I walked on his side. Sam held up the rear. The Collins family was in the middle, supporting their brother.

The wendigo had noticed we were gone. It growled loudly.

“Looks like someone’s home for supper.” Dean joked.

“We’ll never outrun it.” Haley voiced.

Dean seemed to agree. He looked to Sam and me. “Either of you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Sam nodded.

“And if you survive, I’m punching you for it.” I warned.

Dean just smirked. 

“All right, listen to me. Stay with Sam and Raven. They’re gonna get you out of here.” He advised Haley and Ben.

“What are you gonna do?” Haley asked.

He winked, then started yelling. “Chow time, you freaky bastard! Yeah, that’s right, bring it on, baby, I’m feeling good.” He ran after the wendigo.

Once he was far enough that we couldn’t hear his words, Sam and I led the Collins family out to safety.

“All right, come on! Hurry!”

“We don’t have much time.”

They pulled their brother along for the ride.

For two, maybe three minutes, we were doing okay. The wendigo must have realized I was in this group. It growled from further in the tunnel. 

“Get him outta here.” Sam insisted.

“Sam, Raven, no.” Haley pleaded.

“Go now! Do it!” I ordered.

Ben began guiding them out. “Come on, Haley!”

With a look of sadness, Haley joined her brothers in leaving. 

Sam and I hid in the tunnel, listening for its footsteps.

“Come on. Come on.” Sam grunted in impatience.

The growling was closer. And wetter.

There was this  _ ‘oh shit’ _ moment, like when you’re in a horror movie and realize the killer is right behind you. That’s what this felt like.

Sam and I turned around.

The wendigo roared at us. It was still pissed off I burned his arm

Sam fired, hitting rocks. I fired, probably would’ve hit his arm if it wasn’t already burnt to a crisp. 

“Sam! Raven!” Haley cried out.

We ran to her.

“Come on, hurry, hurry, hurry.” Sam lifted up Tommy, trying to encourage a faster pace. 

There was sunlight just a few meters away. The wendigo was nearly on us.

They run to the end of the tunnel, the wendigo right behind.

“Get behind us.” Sam ordered, moving to protect the Collins. I stood beside, holding up the flare gun for when I had a shot.

It came closer. Closer. Closer. Still no shot.

“Hey!”

It moved to face Dean. It gave us both space to fire. The hunter didn’t hesitate firing a flare right in its stomach. I set one off into its neck. The flares went off, torching the bastard.

“Not bad, huh?” Dean smirked.

I smirked. “I hate you.” I laughed.

 

==DG==

 

_ Finally _ we were out of the woods. I’d never been happier to be back in civilization.

Dean had patched up my cuts on the way back. None of them had been infected, by some miracle. My hiking clothes were toast, though. Not that I had much use for them anyway.

The rangers called in an ambulance for Tommy. He was being checked up, before being driven to the hospital.

Ben was giving a statement about the attack. Sam stood behind him, as support. Ben was saying it was a bear.

Haley and Dean were...I guess flirting?

I didn’t care either way. Walking from the ranger’s station, having dressed back into clean none shredded clothes.

When I got to the police cars, Haley had just kissed Dean on the cheek.

“I hope you find your father.” Haley and Ben went to climb in the the ambulance. “Thanks, Sam. You too, Raven.”

I waved, sitting on the hood of the Impala. Sam and Dean joined me. 

The doors shut.

My hands clapped on their shoulders. “Either of you take me camping again, I’ll make you wish the wendigo had eaten you.”

The boys snorted. 

“Man, I hate camping.” Dean remarked.

“Me too.” Sam spoke.

The three of us laughed, without real mirth.

“You boys are gonna find your dad, I know you will.”

“Yeah?” Dean asked.

“Yeah.” I elbowed Sam. “You’re both too stubborn to quit.”

Sam agreed. “Yeah, I know. But in the meantime? I’m driving.”

Dean gave his brother the keys, with little fight.

The three of us went to our respective doors. We climbed inside, slamming our doors in sync.

I stopped, as Sam turned the car on. I leaned in towards Dean. “Dude. We did that  _ at the same time.” _

Dean smirked. “I know.”

We first bumped at the coolness.

Sam was silently hoping my injuries would make me pass out, and that Dean would follow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took awhile. I’m in a sorta fight with my friend, we’re in limbo at the moment. Bright side, I finished my first session of my new college!


	5. Dead in the Water

By the following week, the John Winchester case had not progressed. There had been no sign of the patriarch.

We’d stopped at a diner. Nothing out of the usual from our route. My back had started to cramp from being stuck in the backseat for so long. Any excuse to be in a place where I could walk was a welcome one.

Dean had just started looking for new hunts. He’d circled some of the more interesting ones. I was reading them over too, just in case. After all my time in law enforcement I knew which ones were supernatural and which were just human being weird. I crossed out some of those ones that Dean circled.

“What?” Dean asked when he noticed what I’d done. “Come on, that’s one of our’s.”

“It’s really not.” I assured, stirring my milkshake with my straw.

“It’s a werewolf.” Dean argued. He pointed at the reference of a missing heart in the article. “See? Missing heart, and a full moon.”

I shook my head. “They found her body at night, but she was killed in the late afternoon.”

“She was in an astronomy club.” Dean pointed out. “They do nerd stuff with stars at night. Perfect for a werewolf.”

“She was probably  _ planning _ a viewing for the full moon.” I explained. “Setting up, or whatever. Humans get weird around this time of month too. Her heart wasn’t missing. Just every other part of her chest.”

“How can you know that?” Dean asked, skeptical.

I pointed at some phrases in the article. “It  _ sounds _ like an animal attack, but really it’s just a guy who got to excited with a knife.” I took a sip of my big chocolate. “Plus I called the police in that city in the bathroom and they confirmed it.”

Dean grunted in annoyance. He’d had this conversation with me a lot in the past few months.

“It was awesome. I felt like Jessica Jones, in that comic where she’s on the toilet.” I laughed into my hot chocolate.

That made him laugh. That’s Dean, such a geek. I won the last argument because I used Batman. Jessica won today because Dean thought she was a badass. I take complete credit for introducing him to Jessica Jones.

Dean and I were still laughing about it when Wendy came up. 

“Can I get you anything else?” Wendy asked us.

Dean stuck his pen in his mouth when he looked up at Wendy. I bit my bottom lip, trying so  _ very _ hard not to objectify Wendy. Especially with her boobs  _ right  _ in my face. 

“Just the check, please.” Sam interrupted as he sat down.

The waitress smiled, confused but going with it. “Okay.” She went back to the kitchen. 

Dean groaned silently. I merely wrote it off as a lost cause to start with. “You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while.” He pointed with the pen towards Wendy. “That’s fun.”

“He’s got a point though.” I murmured. Dean gawked at my betrayal. “I mean, just  _ look  _ at all the work we have to do.” That got rid of the betrayed face, now it was a snort of humor.

Sam was annoyed at me, probably on principle. 

To make peace, Dean handed him the newspaper. “Here, take a look at this, I think I got one.” Dean began. “Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, eighteen, walks into the lake, doesn’t walk out. Authorities dragged the water; nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago.”

“A funeral?” Sam asked, surprised.

“Weird, right? They buried an empty coffin.” I stated. “Most families do it for closure-”

“Closure? What closure? People don’t just disappear, Raven. Other people just stop looking for them.” Sam snapped at me.

I stared at him, surprised again at the rudeness.

“Something you want to say to us?” Dean intervened. 

“The trail for Dad. It’s getting colder every day.” Sam ranted at his brother.

“Exactly. So what are we supposed to do?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know. Something. Anything.” Sam fumed.

I let out a small huff. On the show, this argument had a lot more worth and value. Now it was just  _ repetitive _ .

“You know what? I’m sick of this attitude. You don’t think I wanna find Dad as much as you do? That Raven wasn’t sticking around to help us?” Dean inquirer.

“Yeah, I know you do, her too, it’s just-”

“I’m the one that’s been with him every single day for the past two years, while you’ve been off to college going to pep rallies.” Dean snapped at Sam. I sat back in my chair, fiddling with my watch. Watching it tick was less awkward than being stuck in this argument. “We will find Dad, but until then, we’re gonna kill everything bad between here and there. Okay?”

I glanced over at Wendy, mentally praying for her to come save me from a Winchester argument. In honesty, it was hard to be really annoyed with them when their voices were so squeaky compared to season eight.

She walked by. The only saving grace from today.

_ (Was that an angel pun? Probably not...I’ll count it anyway) _

“Alright, Lake Manitoc.” Sam agreed. “Hey!”

“Huh?”

“Wasn’t lookin’.”  _ I like blondes, okay? Shut up. _

Sam was  _ that close  _ to hurting us with a diner fork. “How far?”

 

==DG==

 

In no time at all, Dean was pulling up to Bill Carlton’s house. We told Will that we were with US wildlife. He showed us to his dad.

Bill looked more depressed than he had in the show. I would have felt bad if he hadn’t killed Peter. Though as anger as I was about him and Jake’s decisions, I couldn’t say he deserved this.  _ Sophie _ didn’t deserve this.

Will pointed off in the distance, towards the lake. “She was about a hundred yards out. That’s where she got dragged down.” Will explained.

“And you’re sure she didn’t just drown?” Dean asked.

“Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer. She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as she was in her own bathtub.” Will answered.

“So no splashing? No signs of distress?” Sam asked.

“No, that’s what I’m telling you.” Will huffed in rising annoyance.

“Did you see any shadows in the water? Maybe some dark shape breach the surface?” I asked.

“No. Again, she was really far out there.” Will repeated. He was becoming more distressed by our questions.

“You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?” Dean asked.

“No, never. Why? Why, what do you think’s out there?” Will asked, concerned.

Dean shook his head. “We’ll let you know as soon as we do.” Dean turned back towards the Impala. I followed behind him.

“What about your father?” Sam asked suddenly. Dean paused. I eyed Sam, cautious. “Can we talk to him?”

Will looked back at his father. Bill hadn’t moved once, still staring out at the lake. “Look, if you don’t mind, I mean...he didn’t see anything and he’s kind of been through a lot.”

“We understand.” Sam turned back to the car.

Dean let out the stress in his shoulders. I kept my eyes on Sam.

 

==DG==

 

Walking into a police station with the Winchesters was a lot like walking opening a pack of gum in a classroom. 

It felt that way, at least. My eyes kept glancing to the officers, waiting for one of them to notice us then arrest us. This was an awkward fun feeling.

So Dean told Sheriff Jake why we were here. I fought a giddy smile.

“Now, I’m sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?” Sheriff Jake asked. He opened the swinging gate for us. I walked alongside Sam.

“You sure it’s accidental? Will Carlton saw something grab his sister.” Sam prompted.

“Like what?” Jake asked as he led us into his office. “Here, sit, please. There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake.” He winced, seeing his two chairs. He looked over at me. “Hey sorry, I’ve only got two. I can get three-”

“Nah, I’ll stand.” I offered. While the brothers sat in the chairs, I stayed by the door. No way was I sitting down with this man, not after what he did.

Sheriff Jake wanted to protest, Sam did too. Dean just went along with it. He took one of them, not blinking. Sam let out a quick sigh when he took the other chair.

“You were saying?” I prompted.

The Sheriff huffed. “There’s nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness Monster.”

“Yeah. Right.” Dean laughed. I did too.

“Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still-” He finally sat down in his chair. “We dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep, just to be sure, and there was nothing down there.”

“That’s weird, though, I mean, that’s, that’s the third missing body this year.” Dean pointed out.

“I know. These are people from my town. These are people I care about.” Jake replied.

“I know.” Dean nodded.

“Anyway...” Jake let out a long suffered sigh. “All this...it won’t be a problem much longer.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“Well, the dam, of course.” Jake replied.

“Of course, the dam. It’s, uh, it sprung a leak.” Dean joked.

“It’s falling apart, and the feds won’t give us the grant to repair it, so they’ve opened the spillway. In another six months, there won’t be much of a lake. There won’t be much of a town, either.” Jake gave the three of us careful looks. “But as Federal Wildlife, you already knew that.”

“Exactly.” Dean grinned.

There was a knock on the door behind me. I jumped back, my hair flying out around my face as I did.

“Sorry, am I interrupting?” Andrea apologized.

I brushed my hair back into place while Dean and Sam stood.

“I can come back later.” Andrea started backing away from the door.

“Gentlemen, ma’am, this is my daughter.” Sheriff Jake introduced.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dean.” Dean reached out to take Andrea’s hand. She accepted it.

“Andrea Barr. Hi.” Andrea smiled politely.

“Hi.” Dean smiled, flirty.

“Raven.” I greeted, shaking her hand.

Andrea shook mine back, glancing to Dean with light in her eyes. A part of me should feel ignored, I knew. But this was Coulson’s  _ Cellist _ , so I wasn’t going there. 

“They’re from the Wildlife Service. About the lake.” Jake informed her.

Her expression dropped. “Oh.”

Lucas walked in after that. My first instinct was to kneel down, then pull him in for a big hug. The second was to bring Andrea into the hug, to bring her comfort from another mom. The third was that normal humans wouldn’t do that for introductions.

“Oh, hey there. What’s your name?” Dean greeted.

Lucas, without acknowledging anyone in the room, left the way he came. Andrea looked at us. Her expression apologetic.

“His name is Lucas.” Jake explained.

“Is he okay?” Sam asked.

“My grandson’s been through a lot. We all have.” Jake walked over to his door. He made it clear he meant for us to leave. “Well, if there’s anything else I can do for you, please let me know.”

I smiled warmly. It slipped into a teasing grin when Dean turned to Andrea. “Thanks. You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced motel?” Dean requested.

“Lakefront Motel. Go around the corner. It’s about two blocks south.” Andrea listed.

“Two-would you mind showing us?” Dean asked, much to Sam’s dismay and my joy.

Andrea, however, laughed. “You want me to walk you two blocks?”

“Not if it’s any trouble.” Dean asked.

“I’m headed that way anyway.” Andrea  explained. She turned to Jake while Dean turned to us. He winked. I winked back. “I’ll be back to pick up Lucas at three.” Andrea knelt down to her son. “We’ll go to the park, okay, sweetie?” She kissed her son on the head. The boy continued to color. 

_ ‘Dammit...he’s reminding me of my own kid.’ _ I thought.

It was true. Back Home, my daughter was no doubt filling up coloring books by the hour. She did that a lot after her aunt died. Her pictures were mostly about her departed aunt, sometimes about the man that killed her.

I’d thought after a few months in  _ Rise of the Guardians _ put Lilac someplace emotional stable. She’d continued to draw, except this time there were  _ more _ drawings of Darcy.

She walked with us to the door. Dean waved at Jake. 

“Thanks again.” Sam called back.

“Yeah. Big help!” I added.

So Andrea was then walking across the street. If I didn’t know Dean would try flirting with her, I’d be annoyed. 

“So, cute kid.” Dean complimented awkwardly.

“Thanks.” Andrea replied in short.

I had to clamp my lips together to keep from laughing. Sam had no such qualms show his emotions: _ little brother who’s big brother is an idiot _ .

“Kids are the best, huh?” Dean praised to my joy and Sam’s annoyance.

Andrea didn’t signify that with a response.

‘ _ I’m so proud.’ _

She was silent the rest of the walk to Lakefront.

“There it is. Like I said, two blocks.” Andrea supplied at Dean’s confused expression.

Sam and I, standing behind Andrea, gave Dean a matching look. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, thank you.”  _ ‘The look on Dean’s face has given me renewed purpose in life. Thank you.’ _

“Must be hard, with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pick-up line.” Andrea commented. She walked off. “Enjoy your stay!”

_ ‘I was wrong. _ That _ look on Dean’s face has given me renewed purpose! Praise you, Andrea!’ _

I laughed as soon as Andrea was out of earshot.

“ _ ‘Kids are the best’ _ ? You don’t even like kids.” Sam told Dean.

“I love kids.” Dean argued, sounding offended.

“Name three children that you even know.” Sam challenged.

Dean thinks and comes up empty. Sam waves a hand and walks into the motel. Dean scratches his head. “I’m thinking!” Dean argued. I laughed again. “You don’t know any either!”

“I can name eighteen without any mental strain.” I replied. Dean was surprised. “How many times do I have to tell you I have a life before you believe it?”

“No.” Dean shook his head. “I’ll never believe it.”

I punched his arm, chuckling. Walking after Sam I called over my shoulder “Kiss my ass.”

 

==DG==

 

Sam checked us into our motel room. Once coming into the room, I tossed my stuff on the bed before Dean could take it. Sam took his laptop out, typing away. Dean came up two minutes later. He groaned when he saw I had claimed a bed.

“Really, Raven?” He groaned.

I smiled innocently. “The second one is still up for grabs. Sasquatch hasn’t taken it.”

As if realizing the fatal mistake, Sam’s head popped up. He and Dean made eye contact.

I snickered as I started a mental countdown. The two were about to brawl for that bed.

Dean leapt on it. Sam leapt on him. I laughed, pulling out my phone to take a picture before either of them could win/notice.

It was the funniest five minutes of my life. 

By the time I stopped laughing, the boys were settled. Dean was unpacking his clothes for later. Sam was on his laptop.

“So there’s the three drowning victims this year.” Sam reported.

“Any before that?” Dean asked.

“Uh, yeah.” Sam replied. “Six more spread out over the past thirty-five years. Those bodies were never recovered either. If there is something out there, it’s picking up its pace.”

“So, what, we got a lake monster on a binge?” Dean asked.

“Doubt it.” I spoke up.

Dean raised an eyebrow at me. “You’re not giving me  _ anything _ .”

“Wonder why.” I mused. “The lake monster theory would be better if there were more accounts of it.”

“How do you know there aren’t any?” dean countered.

“Sam’s face, for one.” I pointed out. “There’s also nobody talking about it. Whatever it is out there, no one’s living to talk about it.”

“She’s right.” Sam pointed at the screen for Dean. His brother looked over his shoulder to see.

“Wait, Barr, Christopher Barr.” Dean motioned to the screen. “Where have I heard that name before?”

“Christopher Barr, the victim in May.” Sam read off. “Oh. Christopher Barr was Andrea’s husband, Lucas’s father. Apparently he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned. Two hours before the kid got rescued. Maybe we have an eyewitness after all.”

“That poor boy...” My mother’s heart was pained at the thought at of a child witnessing this.

“No wonder that kid was so freaked out.” Dean had his face twisted in empathy. “Watching one of your parents die isn’t something you just get over.”

_ ‘Which reminds me. I should make sure Lilac is okay. She saw me murder someone. No kid stays normal after that.’ _

 

==DG==

 

Our next visit was to the local park where Andrea said she’d go.

Lucky for us that I was with them. Otherwise Sam and Dean would look like two weird men in the park. Now we were two weird men and a woman.

“Can we join you?” I asked.

Andrea looked up at us. “I’m here with my son.” Andrea motioned over to her son.

“Oh. Mind if I say hi?” Dean took off, with only Andrea’s smile as permission. 

She let out a small laugh of disbelief. “Tell your friend this whole Jerry Maguire thing is not gonna work on me.”

“Would if I could, ma’am.” I replied. Taking the part of the bench beside her, I smiled towards Dean. “Except that’s not why he’s doing this.”

For a few minutes, we watched Dean interact with Lucas. Obviously the conversation was one sided. As I watched Lucas draw, I thought about Lilac. She loved art. Her favorite was watercolors, you see. Funny, considering she was a dragon.

My daughter was a bright creature. She smiled at so many people, made them question how such a good child was found by  _ me _ . They wondered...until my daughter was abducted by a madman.

She was  _ seven.  _ The man tore her away from our home, pointed a gun at her head, conducted  _ experiments ( _ the extent to which I still don’t know), and  _ that man is dead now _ . Unfortunately, my daughter witnessed the killing blow.

She hasn’t closed herself off from the world...it was a near thing for a long time. Her watercolors, which used to be colorful, took on darker tones. My sweet girl, who used to paint landscapes with her friends on them, now painted rainy days or dark trees.

For her, it’s been just over a year since that attack. I knew better than anyone that attacks like that affected on a short term and long term.

“Lucas hasn’t said a word, not even to me. Not since his dad’s accident.” Andrea explained to Sam and I, while Dean walked back.

“Yeah, we heard. Sorry.” Dean apologized. Andrea nodded in understanding.

“What are the doctors saying?” Sam asked.

“That it’s a kind of post-traumatic stress.” Andrea answered.

“That can’t be easy. For either of you.” Sam spoke softly.

“Yeah. Are you alright?” I asked.

“We moved in with my dad. He helps out a lot.” Andrea admitted. She looked off towards her so. “It’s just...when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw...”

“Kids are strong. You’d be surprised what they can deal with.” Dean assured her.

“You know, he used to have such life. He was hard to keep up with, to tell you the truth. Now he just sits there. Drawing those pictures, playing with those army men. I just wish-” Andrea cut herself off as Lucas came close. “Hey sweetie.” Andrea cooed.

Lucas paid her no mind. He looked down to the dirt. He held up the picture for Dean to take.

“Thanks. Thanks, Lucas.” Dean spoke as he accepted the drawing.

Sam and I glanced at the picture. It was obviously the Carlton house. 

Andrea, for one, looked surprised that her son had come over. 

 

==DG==

 

Back at the motel room, Sam stormed inside.

“So, I think it’s safe to say we can rule out Nessie.” Sam huffed in irritation.

“We already ruled out Nessie. She’s a sweetheart monster for another day.” I remarked from the laptop. I’d been looking up bodies from the lake, hoping that one of them might mention Peter. No such luck, dammit. “But...I’m guessing you have a different point.”

Sam sits next to Dean. “I just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead.” Sam

“He drowned?” Dean checked.

“Yep. In the _ sink. _ ” Sam emphasized.

Dean and I blinked at him. “What the hell?”

“In the  _ sink?” _ I repeated. To be honest, I thought Will was being an idiot in that scene. He didn’t need to put his hand in the water, the clog had a chain. Not to mention the fact that he should’ve wondered how the sink was filling up without the tap running. It was like he’d suddenly Traveled to a horror movie, with horror movie logic.

“So the two of you were right, this isn’t a creature. We’re dealing with something else.” Dean reasoned.

“Yeah, but what?” Sam asked.

“If you ask me, the water is haunted.” I stated. Dean and Sam turned over to me. “How many have died in it already in this town? The thing is like a floating graveyard. On that thought, I think a ghost started this.”

“You  _ seriously _ think that?” Dean asked. “Not something like a...waterwraith, maybe? Or a kind of demon?”

“Nope. The obvious is obvious for a reason, Dean.” I reminded. “Like that almost-werewolf case.”

“Well ghosts can’t control  _ the water. _ ” Dean argued.

“They can control it when it comes from one source.” I pointed out.

The Winchesters lit up in realization.

“The lake.” Sam realized.

“Yeah.” Dean agreed.

“Which would explain why it’s upping the body count.” Sam added. “The lake is draining. It’ll be dry in a few months. Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it’s running out of time.”

“And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere.” Dean reasoned. “This is gonna happen again soon.” Dean moved over to a chair, putting on his shoes.

I started packing up my laptop.

“And we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton.” Sam stated.

“Yeah, it took both his kids.” Dean stated.

“And I’ve been asking around. Lucas’s dad, Chris-Bill Carlton’s godson.” Sam revealed.

Dean and I took that for what it was. “Let’s go pay Mr. Carlton a visit.”

 

==DG==

 

While we approached the saddened old man, I went first. Sam let me. Maybe he thought a feminine presence was what Bill needed right now, after losing his kids. I was just doing it because I was excited.

“Mr. Carlton?” I asked. He glanced over at me, going back to the lake. “My friends and I, we have a couple of questions for you.”

“We’re from the, the Department-” Dean began.

“I don’t care who you’re with.” Bill cut him off tiredly. “I’ve answered enough questions today.” 

“Your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything out there?” Sam said. “Mr. Carlton, Sophie’s drowning and Will’s death-we think there might be a connection to you or your family.”

”My children are gone. It’s...it’s worse than dying.” Bill admitted, the words coming out of him like bullets from his chest to mine. All I could think about was my own child, what I became when someone hurt her. “Go away. Please.”

With or without checking to see if the boys agreed, I took them by the elbows. They followed me with no problems. 

“What do you think?” Sam asked.

“He’s been through Hell.” I answered, firmly.  _ ‘The only kind of Hell a parent could have: their kids dying first. I’ve died a handful of times since meeting Lilac. I welcomed them, and I’d welcome them again before I let Lilac die at all.’ _ Outside my mind, I’d realised Sam was looking at me expectantly. “He’s hiding something.”

_ ‘He knows who did it.’ _

The thought came suddenly but I felt it was true. Bill Carlton stared at that water, as if seeing Peter floating there. Bill may not know about actual ghosts, he just knew he was haunted by that boy. Maybe he thought God was punishing him for what he did. 

Didn’t matter. He knew it was connected to Peter someway.

“So now what?” Sam asked Dean.

But Dean wasn’t paying attention. He was looking out at the Carlton House. 

“What is it?” Sam asked.

“Have you found a clue, Fred?” I asked, blandly.

“First off, I’m not Fred, shut up.” Dean told me. He actually sounded  _ offended _ by the comparison. “Second...maybe Bill’s not the only one who knows something.”

He held up Lucas’ picture.

He showed it to us.

 

==DG==

 

Obviously, the next step was to talk to Lucas again. 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Andrea replied to our request.

“I just need to talk to him.” Dean asked. “Just for a few minutes.”

“He won’t say anything. What good’s it gonna do?” Andrea countered. 

“Andrea, we think more people might get hurt. We think something’s happening out there.” Sam explained.

“My husband, the others, they just drowned. That’s all.” Andrea reasoned.

“Okay. Okay. If you really believe that, then we’re done.” I explained. “We’ll leave and never bother you again with this.” Andrea’s expression told me how much she was tempted. She didn’t want it, she was starting to like us (Dean) and our (Dean’s) progress with Lucas. “However, if you think there is a _ chance _ of something else at work, please let Dean talk to your son.”

Andrea bit her lip.

She answered.

 

==DG==

 

Dean knelt down by Lucas. The boy was playing with toy soldiers. Andrea, Sam, and I were waiting by the door.

“Hey, Lucas. You remember me?” Dean asked.

Lucas didn’t speak. I glanced at the red bike drawings.

“You know, I, uh, I wanted to thank you for that last drawing. But the thing is, I need your help again.” Dean explained.

Lucas wasn’t meeting Dean’s eyes. He was focused on his next drawing, which I guessed was the incident at the lake.

Dean pulled out the Carlton house. “How did you know to draw this? Did you know something bad was gonna happen?” Dean asked. Silence. “Maybe you could nod yes or no for me.”

More silence. I hid a smile at how precious Lucas was.

“You’re scared. It’s okay. I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too. I didn’t feel like talking, just like you.” Dean admitted. Sam watched Dean with more intensity, not having heard this from Dean before. “But see, my mom-I know she wanted me to be  _ brave _ . I think about that  _ every day _ . And I do my best to be brave. And maybe, your dad wants you to be brave too.”

Lucas lowered his crayon. He gave Dean one of his finished pictures.

Lucas drops his crayon and looks up at Dean. He hands Dean a picture of a white church, a yellow house, and a boy with a blue baseball cap and red bicycle in front of a wooden fence. 

“Thanks, Lucas.” Dean praised.

 

==DG==

 

“Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died.” Dean commented as we were back in the car.

“There are cases-going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies.” Sam reported.

“Whatever’s out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow?” Dean questioned. “I mean, it’s only a matter of time before somebody else drowns, so if you got a better lead, please.”

“First thing is finding that house.” I held up the picture. “Which could be any of them. These houses all look the same.”

Sam turned in his seat. He pointed at the church. “See this church? I bet there’s less than a thousand of those around here.”

“Oh, college boy thinks he’s so smart.” Dean teased.

“Dean two thirds of the people in this car went to college. Watch yourself.” I teased right back.

“I knew that.” Dean lied. I snorted. “I did! Where did you go?”

“Ohio.” I answered. “Not the point. We gotta save whoever Lucas drew, remember?”

“Yeah I know.” Dean grumbled. He was grinning before long.

There was a tense pause. Dare I say awkward except emotional things are always awkward for these two.

“You know, um...What you said about Mom...You never told me that before.” Sam admitted.

“It’s no big deal.” Dean brushed off.  _ ‘Ewww Emotions.’  _ “Oh God, we’re not gonna have to hug or anything, are we?”

“Please don’t. It’d be uncomfortable for everyone in the car.” I remarked from the back seat, leaning against the backseat.

Sam was smiling at our antics.

That was better. Emotions are a cursed thing.

 

==DG==

 

We’d driven around town for an hour or so when we found the church. There weren’t many churches, just it was hard to find the  _ one  _ white one.

The Sweeney house stood out amongst a grove of trees.

Dean held his hand out for the drawing. I opened it up for him, displaying it. He and Sam looked at it.

The three of us silently agreed this was the place. 

So we walked across the street. Dean walked up to the house, knocking on the door. Mrs Sweeney answered, inviting us inside after hearing we had questions.

“We’re sorry to bother you, ma’am, but does a little boy live here, by chance?” Dean asked. Mrs Sweeney flustered at the question. “He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle.”

Then Mrs Sweeney’s lips turned to a forlorn frown. “No sir. Not for a very long time. Peter’s been gone for thirty-five years now.” She revealed, which made some things easier to understand for the boys and only made my heart ache in sympathy. “The police never-” Mrs Sweeney sighed. “ _ I _ never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared.”

Though Sam was trying to show Dean and I the toy soldiers, I was drawn in by Mrs Sweeney’s story. 

“Losing him-you know, it’s...it’s worse than dying.” She was clearly fighting back tears. The loss, though so old, in her heart was so new. To lose your only child, I am thankful that my own wasn’t hurt when she was abducted. 

“Did he disappear from here? I mean, from this house?” Dean asked in a low voice, being mindful of her sorrow.

“He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up.” Mrs Sweeney answered, without hesitating and full of powerful emotion. She’d been telling herself that for decades.

Dean looked over to Sam and I, except something beyond me caught his eye. He walked over to a picture on the fridge of two boys.

Myself, I stepped forward to hold Mrs Sweeney’s hand. She accepted it, using her free hand to dab at her eyes as tears came up.

“I’m sorry.” I spoke to her. Mrs Sweeney sniffled. “I’m...I can’t explain to you how sorry I am for bringing all this up now.”

Mrs Sweeney sniffled again as tears fell down her cheek. “No, thank you, my dear. It’s been so long since my Peter went...I thought everyone had forgotten about him.” She admitted.

“Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, nineteen seventy.” Dean read off.

I squeezed Mrs Sweeney’s hand.

 

==DG==

 

Back in the car, I was in business mode.

“Okay so back in the 70’s, Peter Sweeney goes missing, and his best friend was Bill Carlton.” I explained.

“Bill’s at the center of it all.” Sam added.

“Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?” Dean commented. 

“And Bill, the people he loves, they’re all getting punished.” Sam reported.

“So what if Bill did something to Peter?” Dean asked.

”What if Bill killed him?” Sam countered.

“Nah...Bill would’ve been a kid too. I doubt Bill could’ve killed him on purpose.” I reasoned. “But if Bill kept  _ quiet _ about Peter dying? From Peter’s mother...?” I prompted.

“Peter’s spirit would be furious.” Dean picked up my train of thought. “It’d want revenge. It’s possible.”

Dean pressed down on the pedal.

 

==DG==

 

He pulled up to the Carlton house. I climbed out of the car, looking for Bill.

Sam followed me. “Mr Carlton?” Sam called out.

“Mr Carlton! We need to talk-”

The engine of his boat roared. I ran towards the lake. His boat was speeding to the middle of the lake.

Over my own shouts, I heard the brothers running behind me. They were shouting for Bill to stop. Bill ignored them.

He ignored them even as the water pulled him down.

 

==DG==

 

After waiting for emergency services, the brothers and I were picked up by Sheriff Jake. He said he would take our statements at the sheriff’s office. He had heard the 911 call Dean made. 

He walked us inside the station. Andrea and Lucas were waiting already. 

“Sam, Raven, Dean.” Andrea greeted in surprise. She put down her purse and Sheriff Jake’s dinner. ”I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“So now you’re on a first-name basis.” Sheriff Jake commented, giving Dean an ‘upset Dad with a shotgun’ face. “What are you doing here?” He asked Andrea.

”I brought you dinner.” Andrea excused.

Sheriff Jake let out a huff. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I don’t really have the time.”

Andrea leaned forward. “I heard about Bill Carlton.” Sheriff Jake’s face scrunched up in fresh grief. “Is it true? Is something going on with the lake?”

“Right now we don’t know what the truth is. But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home.” Sheriff Jake advised.

Lucas let out a whine. He reached out for Dean.

_ Mom-Friend, Activate! _

“Lucas, hey, what is it?” Dean asked. The boy didn’t answer. He held Dean’s arm tighter. “Lucas.”

“Lucas.” Andrea asked. She knelt by her son’s side.

“Lucas, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Dean lowered himself to look Lucas in the eyes. Lucas made an effort to avoid Dean’s. “Hey, Lucas, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Lucas whined again.

Andrea was able to pry Lucas away from Dean. Lucas kept reaching out from Dean as Andrea walked them out.

Sheriff Jake walked to his office. Sam and I followed. Dean was looking at the door, lost.

I held his wrist. It jolted Dean out of his stupor. He saw Sam and Sheriff Jake had walked off. 

“You good?” I asked him.

Dean avoided looking at me. “I’m fine.” He marched off to the office.

Like before, the brothers took the seats and I stayed by the door. My arms were crossed around my front.

Yeah his best friend had died, but only because they’d left Peter behind all those years ago. Bill didn’t deserve losing his kids, nor did the Sheriff. They just deserved to be outed. To have their terrible secret exposed, and have their families turn away from them. But I suppose 

“Okay, just so I’m clear, you see...something attack Bill’s boat, sending Bill-who is a very good swimmer, by the way-into the drink, and you never see him again?” Sheriff Jake asked. He slumped at his office desk.

“Yeah, that about sums it up.” Dean confirmed. And it was actually the truth that time.

“And I’m supposed to believe this, even though I’ve already sonar-swept that entire lake?” Jake challenged. “And what you’re describing is impossible? And you’re not really Wildlife Service?” Sheriff Jake accused.

The brothers put on their best  _ ‘surprised’ _ faces.

“That’s right, I checked. Department’s never heard of you three.” Sheriff Jake revealed.

“See, now, we can explain that.” Dean began.

“Enough. Please.” Sheriff Jake requested.  He glared at the three of us. “The only reason you’re breathing free air is one of Bill’s neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So, we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton’s disappearance.” Sheriff Jake’s glare hardened, if that was even possible. “Or, we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror, and you don’t ever darken my doorstep again.” He warned.

“Door number two sounds good.” Sam agreed.

I raised my hand. “That’s what I would pick.” _ ‘Once again butchering the quote: that’s where I would play from  _ Nemo _.’ _

“Then pick it, and go.” Sheriff Jake finished.

 

==DG==

 

So we did it.

We put the town in our rearview mirror.

We got on the road, and kept driving.

Who am I kidding?

Dean had forgotten to deactivate the  _ Mom-Friend _ setting on his personality.

He’d been distracted since we left the sheriff’s office. Sam hadn’t tried striking up a conversation, instead liking over a newspaper for another case. 

I was leaning forward in my seat, minding Dean. 

He stopped at the interaction. The light changed to green.

My fingers flicked Dean in the neck.

“Ow.” Dean glared over his shoulder at me.

“Green.” I pointed out.

“What?” Dean asked.

“Light’s green.” Sam translated for me.

Dean continued driving, turning right.

“Uh, the interstate’s the other way.” Sam reminded him.

“I know.” Dean answered.

I snorted in my seat.

Sam made a huff when he realized what Dean was doing. “But Dean, this job, I think it’s over.”

“I’m not so sure.” Dean replied.

“If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter’s spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest.” Sam argued.

“We never found out if it was murder or not.” I countered. “Nothing says Peter’s spirit is satisfied.

“What if we take off and this thing isn’t done? You know, what if we’ve missed something? What if more people get hurt?” Dean asked.

“But why would you think that?” Sam asked.

“Because Lucas was really scared.” Dean stated.

“That’s what this is about?” Sam asked, infinitely confused.

“Good enough reason for me.” I agreed.

“I just don’t want to leave this town until I know the kid’s okay.” Dean argued firmly.

“Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?” Sam asked, incredulously.

“Shut up.” Dean answered back.

 

==DG==

 

We raced up to the Barr house. The sky was darker than dark by the time we got there. Dean barely had the Impala parked before running up to the house. I was behind him. Sam was the last to the door.

“Are you sure about this? It’s pretty late.” Sam asked as he walked up behind us. 

Dean didn’t answer. He rang the doorbell. The bell had barely started to ring when Lucas threw the door open, panting and eyes wide in fear.

“Lucas?” The boy dashed back inside. “Lucas!” Dean shouted as he ran after Lucas.

I ran with him. Sam with me.

Lucas lead us to the bathroom. Water was pouring out from under the door, and making a waterfall down the stairway. Dean kicked the door open. Sam and I ran inside, myself pushing Lucas into Dean’s arms to keep the boy safe.

Sam reached into the water. I joined beside him, trying to keep any sort of hold on Andrea. Peter’s ghost had a strong grip, determined to keep her down. 

Too bad for him I’m stronger than I look.

Bracing my feet against the side of the tub, I wrapped my arms around Andrea. With a  _ shove _ of my feet I pulled her up. Her legs flailed in the air only seconds before Sam managed to get her free too.

Sam and I fell back on the floor with a wet plop. Andrea coughed out water on top of us. 

 

==DG==

 

I’d taken the liberty of raiding the Barr kitchen to make her a cup of cocoa to warm her up. While it was heating up I ran to find her something to wear. Sam was cleaning up the mess in the bathroom and stairs, while Dean was making sure Lucas was in bed. I’d given a very naked Andrea the clothes before helping clean up.

Andrea was shaking the whole time.

The sun came up by the time her nerves had settled down.

Over coffee, also made by me, Sam and I sat her down, far from the bathroom and stairs as we could get. Andrea stared at her mug with the thousand yard stare. Dean was searching for more answers around the house. We’d left him to that. He was as full of nerves as Andrea.

“Can you tell us?” Sam asked.

“No.” Andrea answered in a small voice. “It doesn’t make any sense.” She dabbed her shirt sleeve at her watering eyes. “I’m going crazy.” She gave up on the sleeve, instead covering her face with both hands.

“Andrea, we swear that you’re not.” I assured her. “You can tell us. We promise we won’t think it’s odd.”

Andrea lowered her hands so they were over her mouth. She had started crying. “I heard...I thought I heard...there was this voice.”

“What did it say?” Sam asked.

“It said...it said  _ ‘come play with me’ _ .” She hiccuped out a sob. “What’s happening?” She asked in a mixture of plea and beg.

Dean showed up a moment later, photo album in his hands. He put the album down in front of Andrea, careful not to startle her.

“Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?” Dean asked, pointing at the troop photo.

“What? Um, um, no. I mean, except that’s my dad right there.” She pointed at a boy beside a younger Bill and Peter. “He must have been about twelve in these pictures.”

She moves her finger over to another picture of Jake as a child; he is standing next to Peter. 

“Chris Barr’s drowning.” Dean stated to Sam and myself. “The connection wasn’t to Bill Carlton. It must have been to the Sheriff.”

“Bill _ and _ the Sheriff-they were both involved with Peter.” Sam realized.

“The intended target must’ve been the Sheriff. Go after everyone he loves one by one.” I added. “What happened with Bill? That’s just Peter being sadistic to the Sheriff.”

“What about Chris? My dad-what are you talking about?” Andrea asked, becoming confused at the mention of her husband at a time like this.

“Lucas?” Dead suddenly asked.

The three of us looked over to the boy. He was staring out the window.

“Lucas, what is it?” Dean asked.

Instead of answering, Lucas walked outside.

Like reasonable adults, we followed.

He walked into the woods outside.

“Lucas, honey?” Andrea called out. Her son didn’t answer.

Instead we’d walked about a hundred feet from the house. Lucas stopped at a flat batch of land, looking down at the ground before staring blankly up at Dean.

Dean braced himself. “You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?” Dean told Andrea.

The mother didn’t hesitate to take her son away. The boys got shovels from the trunk, my own had been in my Bag. (It could be broken down, okay?)

We dug for ten minutes before Sam’s shovel hit the bike. We used our hands to get the rest of the dirt away. Dean grabbed the bike by the handle to pull it up

“Peter’s bike.” Sam said.

“Why was it so close to their  _ house _ ?” I asked, incredulous. Bill and Sheriff Jake actually let  _ family _ live so close to the only evidence of their accidental murder?  _ What the hell?! _ No wonder Lucas had been haunted by Peter if he lived so close.

“Who are you?” Sheriff Jake demanded from behind us.

The boys whirled around. I glared up from my spot on the ground, the bike held tightly in my hands.

“Put the gun down, Jake.” Sam asked, holding his hands up.

“How did you know that was there?” Sheriff Jake demanded.

“What happened? You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike?” Dean reasoned. 

“You let your  _ family _ live near this bike?” I growled. Pushing myself to my feet, I threw the bike down on the ground angrily. “You did this to them! You’re the reason all of this happened!”

Dean and Sam held me back.

“No more hiding,  _ Sheriff _ !” I spat the word out. He didn’t deserve the badge. “Tell the truth. Right here, right now!”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Sheriff Jake lied.

“You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney thirty-five years ago. That’s what the hell I’m talking about.” Dean admitted.

“Dad!” Andrea cried out as she ran towards us.

“And now you got one seriously pissed-off spirit.” Dean finished. “And my pissed off friend. I’d confess. She’s a puncher.”

“It’s gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It’s gonna drown them. And it’s gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter’s mom felt.” Sam explained. “And then, after that, it’s gonna take you, and it’s not gonna stop until it does.”

“Yeah, and how do you know that?” Sheriff Jake countered.

“You said it yourself. Bill was a very good swimmer. He  _ let _ Peter’s ghost take him into the water. What other answer is there?” I added, wanting Andrea to see the man for who he was.

“Listen to yourselves, the three of you. You’re insane.” Sheriff Jake argued weakly.

“I don’t really give a rat’s ass what you think of us.” Dean argued. “But if we’re gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn’t just let him go in the lake.” Dean ordered.

Sheriff Jake was quiet.

“You son of a bitch.” Dean and Sam held their arms up in front of me again. “He was  _ twelve _ !”  _ And my daughter was seven. _ “How can you- How can you wear that badge?! With what you’ve done!”

Sheriff Jake’s jaw tightened. 

“Dad, is any of this true?” Andrea begged.

“No. Don’t listen to them. They’re liars and they’re dangerous.” Sheriff Jake instructed.

“Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me.” Andrea demanded. Her father obeyed. “Tell me you-you didn’t kill anyone.” Andrea begged. Her father turned away. “Oh my God.” Andrea spoke breathlessly.

“Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time, it got rough.” Sheriff Jake excused. “We were holding his head under the water. We didn’t mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go, and it sank.”

It should be worth noting that the brothers weren’t holding me back as strongly anymore. 

“Oh, Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake.” Andrea wasn’t listening. She was looking down, a lost expression on her face. “But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings, with Chris, because of some _ ghost _ ? It’s not rational.”

Andrea looked up to her father. Her eyes were begging him not to keep lying to her.

“Alright boys let me go. I’m about to do Peter’s job for him.” I demanded.

Sam moved his arm. Dean refused.

“Dean!” I warned.

“All right, listen to me,  _ all of you _ .” Dean spoke up. He gave me a pointed look before turning to the others. “We need to get you away from this lake, as far as we can, right now.” Dean insisted.

Andrea gasped. “Lucas!”

We all turned to see Lucas at the edge of the lake.

“Lucas!” Sheriff Jake shouted.

We ran out after the boy. He made it to the docks, reaching out to the water.

“Lucas!” Dean shouted.

“Lucas! Baby, stay where you are!” Andrea called out.

I could see Peter’s hand reach up for Lucas. The boy flailed as he was pulled in the water.

Dean dived in after him. Myself next. 

_ ‘Swimming around in the dark water was so much easier when I was a mermaid...’ _

Still I searched for Peter or even Lucas. The only time I stopped was when I needed air. 

The boys had needed air too.

“Sam?” Dean asked. Sam shook his head. “Raven?” I shook my head, gasping for air.

“Lucas, where are you?” Andrea cried out.

The brothers and I dived back down.

I could almost make out Peter’s shape. He might’ve been holding Lucas by the arm and neck. Try as I might, none of the motions I made brought me closer. Later I’d think I had been pushed farther back by Peter.

He suddenly turned his head away from me. I turned too, seeing the body of Sheriff Jake.

I pushed myself up to the air. It was over. There was nothing we could do now.

“Jake, no!” Dean ordered, having come up at seeing the Sheriff no doubt.

“Just let it be over!” Sheriff Jake begged as he suddenly sunk further down.

I watched coldly.

“Daddy! Daddy! No!” Andrea screamed.

The brothers dived down. I did too, swimming towards Lucas.

I was able to grab the poor boy’s arm. Dean, who had been swimming to Lucas as well, took his other arm. We swam the boy up to the surface.

Andrea was screaming in agony on the dock, looking towards where her father had been dragged down. Sam was watching her, forlorn.

Dean looked down at Lucas, who was unconscious.

Myself, I gripped Lucas tighter.

_ He was twelve, you bastard. _

 

==DG==

 

The hours later we were packing up. I had cleaned off the last of the wards from the walls, grabbing my Bag to follow after the Winchesters.

Dean and Sam tossed their bags in the back. I came up, pushing the bags back to make room for me.

The three of us stood in silence for a moment.

“We can’t save everyone.” I reminded the boys.

“I know.” Dean agreed, resigned.

There was another long stretch of quiet. 

“Sam, Raven, Dean.” Andrea called out. I turned to her, seeing her walk up with Lucas. Lucas was happily carrying a tray of sandwiches.

“Hey.” Dean greeted with a wide smile. I came to stand beside him, sliding my hands in my back pockets.

“We’re glad we caught you. We just, um, we made you lunch for the road.” Andrea excused. She put her arm around her son’s shoulders. “Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself.”

“Can I give it to them now?” Lucas asked, to our equal delights. Dean, Sam, and I gave each other proud looks.

“Of course.” Mother kissed son on the head. Son smiled proudly at himself.

“Come on, Lucas, let’s load this into the car.” Dean offered. Lucas agreed. Together they walked over to the car.

“How you holding up?” Sam asked Andrea.

The mother winced. “It’s just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?”

“Yeah. I know.” My elbowed reaches out for her’s, giving her a light reassuring tap. “Hey. I’m sorry this happened to you.”

Andrea smiled, bittersweet. “There was nothing you could have done.”

“Andrea, I’m sorry.” Sam added.

Andrea shook her head at him. “You saved my son. I can’t ask for more than that.” Andrea told him. “Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that.”

We went back to Baby. Dean wrangled a high-five from a beaming Lucas. When he saw us coming Dean hopped up to his feet.

Andrea kissed him. Dean gawked at her. “Thank you.” Andrea looked down to her son’s smiling face.

Sam and I were grinning like idiots. 

Dean didn’t like it. “Sam, Raven, move your asses. We’re gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road.” He walked around Baby to get to his seat.

I was snickering as I walked over to my seat.

Lucas and Andrea was waving goodbye to us. Dean started up the engine. 

Then we drove off to elsewhere.

I snorted.

“Shut it, Raven.”

“Not a chance, dumbass.”

I pulled my phone out, texting Lila.

_ Lilac’s okay, right? _

Two minutes later she texted back.

_ She’s holding your hand on the couch. She’s precious. _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, I'm 21 and drunk as can be, happy birthday to me!


End file.
